4 minute read
art of the Matter
Jon Tiger is proud of his heritage and uses that history as his muse for his artwork.
Tiger portrays message, story with art
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History serves as Eufaula artist’s inspiration
Jon Tiger remembers the advice his grandmother told him. “Take care of your hands and your head,” he said. “My grandmother encouraged me to stay with the arts. My brothers were boxers, and she would never let me go to town.”
Tiger lived with his grandparents growing up and put that advice to good use in his award-winning artwork. The 67-year-old Eufaula native, cousin of world-renowned artist Jerome Tiger and member of the Muscogee Nation, said he draws most of his inspiration from the history of his people.
By ronn rowland • Photos by ChriS CummingS
Jon Tiger, a member of the Muscogee Nation, creates artwork reflecting on that heritage, including his painting of “The Man in Peace” on the right.
Tiger first got interested in drawing as a little boy living with his grandparents. His family would take cardboard boxes and use them for insulation, and at night he would sit in bed and draw on the cardboard.
“My grandmother would have some pencils laying around,” he said. “So I would grab a handful and draw on the wall. It’s kind of a native practice with me. I would go outside and play but when I was in the bed, that’s when I would start expressing myself.”
Tiger attended the American Institute of Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for three months until his grandfather got sick. He returned home to take care of his
Tiger creates his many pieces using different media, from acrylics to pencil to pottery.
Jon Tiger proudly displays some of his pieces in his Eufaula home, and some are on display at the Five Civilized Tribes Museum.
Tiger reflects on the spirit of the Native American in a lot of his artwork.
grandparents but never gave up his art production.
“There wasn’t no scholarship,” he said. “They offered attendance to anyone who wanted to go. But when I came home I told my grandma that I would stay here.
“After my grandpa died, I transferred to Sequoyah Indian School in 1972 and graduated in 1973. They had an art department up there, and that’s one thing I liked about it.”
One piece on display at his home is a 2-inch by 4-inch miniature titled “Beloved Old Men,” which won first place in the Chickasaw Southeastern Art Market show two years ago. It depicts five Native American men representing the Five Civilized Tribes.
“I did it using a magnifying glass,” Tiger said. “I did it in watercolor.”
Artistic talent runs through his veins. In front of his house is proudly displayed a keco, pronounced KAY-jo, an artifact that one of his ancestors made in 1965.
“The bottom part is made out of
Jon Tiger has created artwork is all shapes and sizes, including his “Beloved Old Men” which is 3 inches by 5 inches. Tiger said he used a magnifying glass and water color to paint that piece.
cedar,” Tiger said. “And the top is made from either pecan or oak. We had an older keco when I lived with Bennie Scott, my grandfather, and this is all his land around here.”
One of his historical pieces is a pencil drawing he calls “What was left behind.”
“The top part is the Natives leaving their lands,” he said. “The bottom part shows the things the people could not take, the parts of their souls that were in the land. That’s why I called it ‘What was left behind.’”
Tiger entered his first competition in 1971 at the Five Civilized Tribes Museum in a student art show winning the Grand Heritage award. From that time on, he knew he had a talent to create.
“I’ve been doing this for 50 years,” he said. “I don’t have anything really in particular I like to work with. I do a lot of watercolors. Subject matter has a lot to do with it.
“When I grew up, I wanted to do something besides haul hay.”
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