Joe Geshick was born June 21 1943, near Faribault, Minnesota, and began
painting at age 19. In the late 70’s, he studied at the Art Students League in New
York, and upon completion of his studies moved to the Lac La Croix reserve in
Ontario Canada where he taught art in an elementary school. At Lac La Croix,
Joe was taught the history of his clan, discovered his Ojibwa name,
Mishakeebaneesh, and was introduced to traditional ceremonies. For the first
time in 1977 Joe participated in the Sundance Ceremony at Greengrass, South
Dakota. During five years of sundancing, Joe’s spiritual development became
firmly rooted in traditional ceremony, bringing a new understanding into his life.
The deepening influence of constant involvement in traditional ceremony
produced a profound change in Joe Geshick, the artist. Shifting away from prior
artistic “norms” such as landscapes, still life, portraits, and seascapes, Joe began
concentrating on the palette knife in executing traditional images reflecting his
experiences with the ceremonies. Joe uses the six sacred colors: red, yellow,
black, white, green and blue, and because of his knowledge and respect for the
sacred nature of ceremonial objects such as pipes and medicine bundles,
chooses not to use these images in his work.
The paintings are based on traditional Ojibwa ceremony and represent Joe’s
personal thanksgiving. With clear design and richly-layered textures of full-bodied
earth tones, an expression of quiet simplicity, hidden strength and deep spiritual
connection with the natural world is achieved. Joe Geshick’s artwork not only
reflects the healing power of these ceremonies, but also extends his gratitude for
their impact upon his life.
Joe Geshick
