Rabbett Before Horses Strickland, a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, has been called “The Michelangelo of the Ojibwe”.

Early in his career he studied the forms and studio practices of European Renaissance and Baroque masters. Using traditional glazing, he marries old-world European techniques and forms together with a classically-drawn subject matter deeply rooted in Anishinaabe culture, to create an ouvre which is uniquely his own.

Strickland's paintings feature Nanabozhoo, a complex character from Ojibwe stories passed down the generations. Nanabozhoo, a trickster, is part human part spirit, being both of the Earth and a creator of all things and creatures on Earth.

Strickland’s paintings, received in dreams, feature moments from Ojibwe stories (mythology), a genre which continues to grow along with Ojibwe history. As in all mythology, there are lessons in the stories, and thus lessons in Strickland’s paintings.