Two spirits soar

"Two Spirits Soar celebrates the distinctive talent of the Canadian painter Allen Sapp, a Cree from Saskatchewan, and his relationship with Dr. Allan Gonor, mentor and friend. Sapp specializes in paintings depicting native life as he remembers it on the Red Pheasant Reserve near North Battleford, with subjects ranging from social activities and farming chores to full-dress ceremonies. These remarkable examples of Canadian art might never have existed were it not for Dr. Gonor, a man of uncommon insight who early recognized Sapp's ability and encouraged him to paint from his own experience rather than trying to copy other artists' modes of expression. Sapp's career flourished after Gonor's excellent advice and support in the generous style of the traditional artist's patron. The result: finely detailed paintings richly evocative of life in a close-knit community, full of warmth and nostalgia. In the text, W.P. Kinsella, a fiction writer well known for his attraction to native Canadian subjects, compares his own passion for writing, as he was growing up, with Sapp's similar youthful dedication to art. Kinsella then explores the productive relationship between Sapp and Gonor to provide a very satisfying picture of this unique and important painter's life and work"--Jacket.