Weather Vane c. 1936

Here's a small watercolour drawing of a weathervane, made by Elmer G. Anderson. It shows an Indigenous man with his bow and arrow at the ready. I'm wondering what Anderson was thinking when he made this. Was he thinking of folk art? Americana? What did it mean to him? It's a flat frontal image with a muted palette and a slightly nostalgic feel. The figure stands out against the background, its dark brown and red hues contrasting with the light background, like a collage. I feel the artist was working from memory here. There's something quite haunting about the way the figure is presented. It speaks to the complex and layered relationship between representation, history, and memory in folk art. I guess this reflects how artists are in an ongoing conversation, inspiring each other across time. Painting embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings.