Doing several paintings to hang in the new Spearfish Crow Peak Brewery, I explored Native American legends regarding the Crow and the Sioux Indians. Enemies in earlier days, there are many winter count and ledger art records about battles between the two tribes. Paintings I did for the brewery explored the legend of how the local landmark, Crow Peak, got …
This image turned out a little blurry, but it is in keeping with my latest fear of imperfection philosophy: One must take action in order to move ahead. I feel I could have re-taken the photo and made it perfect. HOWEVER, the time and energy it would have taken to do it again, in this instance, would likely have prevented …
I love the concept of wild horses: the epitome of freedom! My mother taken me to several locations in Wyoming in which horses run free. She has also taken many photos of them, and they have served as resource material in my art. Horses were and still are signs of affluence as well as being vital to our culture. They …
Ledger art helps one realize the vital role horses played in Native American life. They were everything. They were of course, transportation, but also a concrete show of wealth. They provided a means for hunt and war and self defense. To “count coup” on an enemy meant to get close enough to touch him, considered to be much braver than …
I love to research. The seed of an idea is there, and additional art research adds the details for me. Learning about Sioux Ledger art has been an adventure to me. Growing up in the Black Hills, I was familiar with what it was, but the more I am comparing various ledgers from different tribes, the meaning grows. The written …
This is the painting I have been writing about, in progress. It is in a stage of drying right now, as I like to rest my hand on the painting surface to do small detail work, so need it to be dry. I am really pleased with it thus far, and am ironically, sort of hesitant to proceed until I …
I am working on a painting, based on an authentic Native American ledger art drawing, depicting Reno’s Retreat. I am especially concentrating on depicting motion and chaos. The textures and surfaces within the tipi in which the storytelling is set will add volume and depth to the piece as I move ahead in the painting. A flash in time: a …
The painting that I am developing is based on a ledger art drawing of Reno’s retreat, during the Battle of the Greasy Grass… also known as The Battle of the Little Big Horn, or Custer’s Last Stand. The image here is a detail from this painting. How can the same event have so many different names? The same way that …
This is a peek into my painting process: here is my artist’s palette… messy as it is! I utilize a disposable palette which has a rubber cover to keep the paints moist between changes. I like to be able to start with a “clean slate” whenever I want, by just peeling off the wax paper surface. Love the modern age! …
In my under painting, and overall plan for the images I am beginning, I am focusing on brighter colors than in the past. I am excited to expand the idea of the vividness of the stories being told. The narrative nature of much of mankind’s past is explored through my artwork. Stories told, repeated, embellished… lost. I ponder the family …