Wade Tsun began drawing in earnest when he was as young as seven.
Self-taught, he recognized his own genious early and went to it as both
release and refuge. His very early work is primarily pencil work. Detailing
line and shadow he captured what he saw; the realism of everyday things
combined with the impressions they convey. At some point Wake's Algonquin
ancestry interjected itself into his art. His early "aboriginal" style
depicted totems (animals and animal spirits). He used contrasting colours,
strong and heavy lines to depict spirit within spirit motifs. As he pursued
this new direction each drawing seemed to draw him in and onward. The drawings
themselves began to take on a determination of their own and in following
the subtle demands of each he entered onto a path which continues to evolve
in depth and complexity.
Wade uses a style called pointillism. Made famous by the French
Impressionist, Serat, the pointillist creates the form and images with
hundreds and thousands of pinpoint dots. Wade's drawings also include lines
which direct the flow of energy. A work begins in pencil. Allowing the
creative impulse to drive him Wade draws, erases, and draws again until
the form of the drawing appears. When the outline of the drawing has taken
shape Wade begins the long process of applying the colours, one dot at
a time. This process can take two to three weeks and it is simply not just
mechanical. It is in adding the colour that the texture of the drawing
is created. This is where the subtlety and the meaning are infused into
the work. Wade uses only six colours, red, yellow, black, blue, green and
purple.
Wade resists calling himself a Native Artist. "Art is art, I'm
a native and I'm an artist. Art is more than just art. I create while I'm
working, as personal therapy". Wade's art may be therapy for him but it's
therapeutic power is also offered to the viewer of his work.
