(G1,G2) Creating in the style of Tom Gilleon (American Indian Legends Part III)

In trying to find artists who use American Indian symbols in their art I discovered the artist Tom Gilleon.

View his work here

Tom Gilleon's grandfather had immigrated to the United States from Scotland. His grandmother, was a Cherokee and descended from a band of tribal members who refused to relocate into  a reservation in the Oklahoma Territory.

I was so impressed with the aesthetic qualities of his teepees series, that I decided to introduce his work to our students.

Here is how he describes the spark and luminosity found in his teeppees.

" My memory of the important events in my early life are set somehow in dramatic theater lighting. We lived in a little place where there was no electricity and the inside of our wooden home was lit by kerosene lanterns. I always felt drawn into the light and everything around the glow disappeared into a blur." 

Tom Gilleon

The artist Tom Gilleon

For this project the students were given two options in creating their-Tom Gilleon inspired teepee. 

1. Use American Indian symbols to decorate the teeppe.
2. Use simple lines for the teeppe and place the emphasis on the background.

Tom Gilleon

Tom Gilleon

Tom Gilleon

Tom Gilleon

Tom Gilleon