Reflections: The Art of David General

David General is a First Nations artist with a long, impressive career and rich portfolio, featuring works that have been displayed in museums and galleries across Canada. To celebrate his artistic journey, I worked with David to create a retrospective book showcasing his pieces and detailing his unique relationship with different mediums and techniques. This 52-page passion project involved trips to galleries, photoshoots, and interviews with David and collectors alike.

The Eagle is the ultimate symbol of ascension; it is a conduit between humankind and the Creator. As a tribute to David’s father, Tribute to an Eagle (1986) elicits stoicism, reverence towards nature, and quiet majesty.

Gentle curvilinear forms and spacial depth come together harmoniously in Eagle in the Sky at Dawn (2011) to create a dialogue between light and shadow also seen in His Messenger, Our Prayers and Eagle Rising Above the Thermals.

Scenting the Wind (2008) and Roaming the Pack Ice (1992) serve as a deeper exploration of the bear as a symbol and form. Despite compositional differences, such as the presence of a void in Roaming, both serve as a representation of the polar bear as a symbol of both nature’s strength and fragility.

Reflection reminds us of the transmporphic nature of human emotion and how inner turmoil is manifested on the surface: how the intangible can mark the tangible. David’s signature clean lines and voids come together to create a piece that embodies this relationship.