She wasn’t kidding!
The guy can draw! And man, can he paint! Damn! 
Jealousy! I had
to fight it off as I flipped through one of R.J. Ogemah’s many sketchbooks. R.J.
is 24. Some of his sketchbooks and a few paintings are from his teenage years! Fortunately
I was able to laugh at my own insecurity and left his place with an invigorated
resolve to do better work. I have R.J. to thank for my next illustration, which
turned out phenomenally better than my last few mediocre scratches. I have
Louise Thomas to thank for the introduction.
Although R. J. Ogemah’s subject matter is
not for everyone, it’s pretty obvious from the few painted works and the many portrait
and nude drawings that he can draw as any classical or popular artist would. With
such versatility he is able to mimic one of his favourite comic book artists,
the famous French fantasy artist Moebius, featured prominently in Heavy Metal
magazine.
Computer games, comics, and graphic novels played
a big role in finding sources of inspiration so although R.J. enjoys realism he
is drawn to more imaginative artists. When asked about his influences he begins,
“There weren’t any creative people around me when I was growing up.” 
R.J. grew up in Long Lake # 58 First Nation,
so it was the Internet that gave him access to classical art imagery and modern
hard edge realism. “I was thirteen when I saw photo realism and I was
interested in learning how to do that. I always had an interest in the old
masters. It’s something I always wanted to learn since I was a little kid. I
trained on my own, studying imagery on the Internet, taking it seriously when I
was 18.”
When asked if his
Ojibway roots will play a role in his art he states, “I grew up pretty detached
from my own culture. I never felt like I really belonged.” However, he says
that at some point in the future he will. “I think it’s pretty important to
explore that, learn about my heritage and history.” 
Right now he’s developing
a body of work, exploring his options. He’s done work for a portfolio and
developing a style, a style which has its roots in Italy, for a show he hopes
to have in October next year at the Anishnaabe Gallery.
Last week he flew
to Montreal to begin a new adventure working for the fabulous company, Mosaika.
Worth a look: www.mosaika.com. It’s likely
R.J. will be sent to other cities to work on large scale mosaics, so he’ll get
a great paid education in major creative endeavors.
Kori Smyth, who grew up in Fort William, is the
owner of Mosaika. She met with R. J. in Florence, Italy while R.J. studied the
techniques of the old masters. Louise Thomas, a friend of Smyth’s, arranged the
meeting. The Ontario Arts Council’s Career Access and Development Grant funded
the trip. R. J. was in Florence from May to August this year, returning to
Thunder Bay with a couple paintings from his classes and a new resolve to
create work for a show. 
R.J. had studied
realism at the Toronto Academy of Realist Art for 8 months. He wasn’t a fan. “I
learnt stuff I pretty much already knew.” The school taught observational
drawing where students copied exactly what they saw. R.J. was disappointed that
they didn’t teach anatomy or perspective. “I was looking for a foundation,
basic knowledge, but they offered a formula.”
“There was a lot of drama in the school. And there
were a lot of hobbyists. There was a group who was really talented and serious,
but they went off and did their own thing.” He laughs, and describes how he
left the program. “It was stupid. I just gave up after a while and did my own
thing for a few years. I was afraid of going to Florence because I thought it
was going to be like Toronto again.”
“It wasn’t until
much later that I met Louise and she really supported me when I was growing
up.” He showed his work at Louise’s gallery and sold a few pieces. And although
he might get diverted in his career, he has plans to show new work at the
Anishnaabe gallery next year.
R.J. laughs when
he describes himself as wanting to be something like a wizard. “I’m after more
of a visceral action. I want people to see my work and say, ‘What the hell is
that!? It’s a good aim, similar to creating awe. I want to capture the feeling
I got when reading ghost stories. The first time I saw Hellraiser I felt this
sense of wonder…. It’s definitely going to be horror related, but I want it to
be more introspective, like traveling to different dimension…. I want to be
like a merchant, to record my experiences as objects and sell them…. I have a
belief that all meaning is imaginary and the more active your imagination is
the more meaning there is in the world.”
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