Ernest Marceau, an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe (Siksikaitsiitapii), uses his art to share the culture and history of his people.  As a professional artist specializing in painting and sculpture, he creates art that allows the viewer to investigate the imaginary world of his mind.  Born in Browning, Montana, Mr. Marceau was raised on the Blackfeet Reservation.  He graduated from Browning High School in 1981, and attended Haskell Junior College in Lawrence, Kansas, where he focused his studies on art.

This exhibit presents a small sample of Mr. Marceau’s life work, including elements of both his previous and current artistic expressions.  Visionary World is a collection capturing the Blackfeet way of life on the Great Plains, as though it were a spiritual dream.  Although mostly self-taught, Mr. Marceau credits his school’s Head Start program with nurturing his artistic spirit at a young age.  As he grew older, his art was deeply influenced by the work of other artists, as well as family and friends. He continues to learn from others in the art world, with the goal of increasing his capacity to create the visionary images he presents in his artwork.

Mr. Marceau’s earliest memory of creating art occurred at age three when he produced a stylized drawing of a dog.  From there, he began to experiment in other mediums, including sculpture, oil paints, acrylics, watercolors, pen and ink, pastel, etc.  He quickly discovered that painting on stretched canvas was his preferred medium, and through adolescence and adulthood he continued to grow his artistic skills.  Mr. Marceau credits his family with supporting his art career from an early age, including purchasing art supplies and praising the work of the young artist. His visionary world that blends Blackfeet history and culture with a modernist aesthetic is a unique perspective. In the words of the artist:

“I want to create art that looks into my deepest thoughts.  Art which brings out my creativity in an endless form like the universe.  It is never ending, and the creativity goes on to eternity, like my visionary world.”

Blood Skull Warriors of the Red Earth

This painting explores warriors, buffalo skulls, and the connection of the human body to the earth.  Warriors on horseback are depicted in their spirit form and the background is filled with the spirits of a buffalo herd.  A single white buffalo is concealed within the herd. Blood flows from the warriors and bison skulls in a representation of the symbiotic relationship between the warriors and Mother Earth.  The warriors have a ghostly presence in this composition.  The central figure in the painting wears a buffalo horn headdress, a common part of the regalia of many Plains tribes.  Two figures flanking the central figure wear straight-up war bonnets, a style unique to the Blackfeet.  In Blackfeet tradition, the feathers were worn in the upright position to allow the wearer’s prayers to travel upwards to the creator.  This work also includes visual references to the four directions, which are sacred to the Blackfeet people.   

Brings Down the Sun’s War Party Ride Out of Camp

This painting depicts a Blackfeet camp at sunset, with the silhouette of the Rocky Mountains in the background.  In the foreground, the camp is filled with warriors, lodges, and their families.  The war party is exiting the camp while their families look on.  The colors used in this piece represent the setting sun and its lighting of the scene.  By positioning abstracted silhouettes over a solid background, the artist has created another of his visionary worlds. 

Buffalo Skull Warriors of Chief Mountain

Warriors and buffalo skulls become one in this piece.  This visionary world depicts traditional Blackfeet warriors in their war party regalia. With the feathers flowing from their spears and shields, the artist hopes to create a sense of movement.  The lack of major elements in the background is intentional and is meant to convey a sense that the figures are floating in space.  Chief Mountain is the lone background element, and it is from there that the ghostly warriors emerge.

Visionary World

While this painting may confuse the viewer at first glance, a deeper look reveals its meaning.  As an artist, Ernest Marceau is depicting his version of the dream world. Inside the warrior’s face are elements depicting Chief Mountain, warriors in their lodges, and a white buffalo. The visionary concept blends all the elements of the artist’s dreams into a single image. Within a single painting, the artist has included many important elements of Blackfeet spiritual life.  The horns of the buffalo headdress are tipped with planets, another reference to the artist’s visionary world. Here the artist invites the viewer to join him in his personal dream world that blends colors, directions, and emotions.