In Memory of Art Thompson by Art Thompson

Silkscreen

22" x 22"

September, 2004

Edition of 150

Art Thompson was diagnosed with terminal cancer at age 54, and passed away only four months later in March, 2003. In this relatively short frame of time, Art designed, printed, and signed this silkscreen, forever memorializing himself in a limited run of 150 copies before destroying all trial proofs and printing stencils.

The print depicts Art surrounded by four ravens, holding a double-headed wolf band (Art was a member of the Tlukwana or Wolf Society) atop another upside-down human head. Art's shoulders and chest evoke a blossoming flower, and he has clawed or taloned feet. Both Nuu-chah-nulth and Coast Salish (to which Art also had ancestral roots) design elements are featured -- the asymmetry of his hair, the Salish trigons placed throughout, the fine, detailed line work, and the large, solid blocks of colour. It is the only auto-memorializing print we know of.