A slim card holder featuring Spirit of the Woodlands by Santee Oglala Sioux artist Maxine Noel.

It includes four card slots, a zipped compartment and RFID protection. The bright green exterior complements the vivid colours of the artwork.

Artist receives royalties from sales of this product.

+ About the Artist

Maxine Noel is a Santee Oglala Sioux artist born on the Birdtail Reserve in Manitoba. She spent her early years with her mother and grandmother before being taken to an Indian residential school at the age of six. That history later became part of her public work, including speaking to students about the residential school system and its continuing effects.

Noel first supported herself as a legal secretary but continued drawing and painting throughout those years. During an advanced design course, a teacher encouraged Noel to use shape and line to suggest movement. That approach became central to the flowing forms that now define her work.

She eventually left legal work and became a full-time artist, working in painting, drawing, serigraphy, etching, stone lithography, cast paper and bronze. Noel signs her work with her Sioux name, Ioyan Mani, meaning “Walk Beyond.” The name fits both her career and the emotional range of her art, which often moves between grief, endurance, tenderness and spiritual strength.

+ Behind the Artwork 

Maxine Noel describes Spirit of the Woodlands as “my tribute to the Spirit of the Woodlands and its people.”

Noel is Santee Oglala Sioux, but in this artwork she draws from the Woodland tradition. The birds, flowers and leaf forms across the woman’s dress echo imagery associated with Woodland painting.

A continuous flowering branch connects the forms within the dress. In Woodland art, this kind of living line expresses the connection between different parts of creation.

Noel combines that Woodland imagery with the elongated figure and expressive line that define her own work, bringing the two visual languages together in a direct tribute.

+ Product Details

Artwork: Spirit of the Woodlands
Artist: Maxine Noel
Affiliation: Santee Oglala Sioux
Size: 5.6" W x 3" H
Material: Synthetic leather
Card Slots: 4
Closure: Zipper
Protection: RFID
Royalties: Artist receives royalties from sales of this product.

+ Shipping Options

Ground shipping in USA and Canada: US$11.95 
Faster services and international shipping calculated at checkout.

+ Returns

If you’re not happy with the item you received you may return it within 2 weeks after delivery. Please contact us at hello@lightcodesstudio.ca for return address.

The only condition is that the item and its gift box are both in perfect condition. Upon receiving your return you will be fully refunded.

One favor: Please tell us in a few words why the item in question failed to meet your expectations. We'd like to learn from our mistakes.