editions
March 2023
Prairie Braids
Wally Dion
available July 2023
'The print portrays an individual with their back towards the viewer. The source image belongs to a larger group of portraiture work embarked upon in 2019.
The figure in these prints can be any gender and to some extent, any ethnicity.
A prairie lily, the provincial flower of Saskatchewan, is embroidered into the back of the shirt. In this print, the individual has turned their back towards the viewer; referencing settler-Indigenous relations in the Saskatchewan judicial system.
For me, braids represent strength, culture and spirituality. Combing and braiding hair implies care, companionship and skill. Hair has long been a battleground for the church & settler power structures. In this way, braiding, washing or not washing, hair has become an act of resistance for Indigenous people.
Bullseyes are embossed into the some of the prints, referencing gun violence towards Indigenous people.'
Wally Dion
Red Prairie Braids
Wally Dion
Photogravure on chine collé
Paper dimension tbc
Image dimension 28.4cm x 32cm (11” x 12½“)
2023
Edition size 8
Prairie Braids, based from a painting made in 2020 Up Where We Belong, is one of Dion's first venture into printmaking.
Having visited Jillian Ross Print in early October 2022 to see the studio and to learn more about printmaking and Ross's approach to collaborative printmaking, Wally decided to try out photogravure along side his other mediums - painting, drawing, tapestries, mixed media and installation based artworks.
With the help of Steven Dixon, who made the photogravure plate over the October Thanks Giving weekend, a new series of prints emerged. Over the coming months and regular trips to Saskatoon the print developed into four prints in red and black. Time and consideration was taken into develop the right look and feel for the print, experimenting with different papers and tonal ranges in color.
Up Where We Belong, 2020
Diptych installation at Remai Modern, Saskatoon
The making of the Prairie Braids at Jillian Ross Print.
Published by Wally Dion
Collaborating Printer Jillian Ross
Photogravure by Steven Dixon
Editioning and image development at Jillian Ross Print
Editioning printers Master Printer Jillian Ross