If you have ever been lucky enough to see a river otter in the wild, you know how delightful it is to watch them play in the reeds at a river’s edge or see them swim sleekly through the water. In our Otter Friend Fine Art Print by Piikani/Blackfeet artist John Isaiah Pepion, a sleek otter splashes across the page in this contemporary ledger art work.
“Otters are one of my favorite animals,” shares John. “I love the playfulness of otters, and seeing them when I’m on the water is really special.” In addition to being fun to watch, otters are special to John’s community. “Otters are sacred to the Blackfoot People,” John says, “and are found in our medicine bundles, songs, dances, and art. I was inspired by the otter designs painted on Blackfoot tipis for this design.”
John is known for his work as a contemporary ledger artist, continuing an art form that began in the mid-1800s. “Captured Plains warriors were imprisoned in a penitentiary in Florida,” shares John. “The US Government gave them used paper from old ledger books with some crayons and pencils to draw with. While Plains people had traditionally used earth pigments to paint scenes on hides, these warriors adapted, continuing to tell their stories but with these new materials.” The use of ledger paper became widespread among Plains artists, who recorded scenes of battles, horse raids, stories, and more on this highly-portable medium. Artists used ledger paper from accounting books, as well as receipts, certificates, and sometimes even currency.
“Traditionally, only Plains men created ledger art, but now artists of all genders create ledger art. The artform has expanded beyond Plains tribes, too, and now many Native artists work on ledger paper.” John drew the original Otter Friend piece on antique ledger paper from Montana. This archival print of John’s original drawing is printed in our Seattle studio on acid-free paper.
Like John's style? Shop her other products in John's "Shop By Artist" section.
- Giclée fine art print (unframed)
- Open edition; printed by Eighth Generation
- 8" x 10" artwork size (w/ .5" border on all sides: total print size including margins is 9" x 11")
- Canson Aquarelle Rag 310 gsm paper meets the highest archival standards
- Professionally packaged and shipped flat
Our Native-designed fine art prints are created in our studio on archival paper. This is one more example of our Native business taking back production so we can further invest in our artists and community!
Known as giclée prints (pronounced "zhe-clay"), our fine art prints are distinguished from mass-produced prints due to their quality, longevity, and value. We print using a state-of-the-art, large-format fine art printer in our Seattle-based art studio. Because they're printed on acid-free paper, our prints won't degrade over time, and when displayed out of direct sunlight will maintain their color saturation and fine detail for decades.
Thank you for supporting Inspired Natives®, not "Native-inspired."
