Artist of the moment………Emmi Whitehorse

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emmi whitehorse, native american, navajo nation, painter, university of new mexico at albuquerque

 

 

 

Emmi Whitehorse is a contemporary painter and collage artist. Emmi Whitehorse was born in Crownpoint, New Mexico in the year 1956. Whitehorse is a member of the Navajo nation.

The artist attended the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque where she earned a B.F.A and M.F.A. Whitehorse studied art history and printmaking.

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Whitehorse is categorized as an abstract painter. She has created her own symbols to respond to the vibes she receives from the Universe.

In this clip Emmi Whitehorse shares what motivates her to create:

The artist is based out of Sante Fe, New Mexico.

Works by Emmi Whitehorse can be found in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Art Museum, the Denver Art Museum, and Honolulu Museum of Art.

Emmi Whitehorse’s style is very unique in that its both very abstract in appearance but at the same time very representational in meaning. No one person can understand the vastness of life as its thrown at you on a daily basis. The artist’s work does a great job at using icons to represent the smaller details of life, and how they make up our spiritual world.

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Artist of the moment……..Gary Olver

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canadian, cree, faces, gary olver, jewelry maker, native american, painter

 

 

 

Gary Olver is a contemporary carver and jewelry maker. Gary Olver was born in Pas, Manitoba in the year 1966. Gary Olver is of Cree decent.

Olver found inspiration to create art from some Haida artists.Olver was visiting an uncle who was stationed at Massett, Queen Charlotte Island. It was here Olver was able to watch working artists mastering their craft.

When the artist was younger he began a promising career as actor. Olver worked in film and television working on the X-Files and Highlander. Olver’s acting career was short when he was hit by a car whilst riding a bike and suffered much damage to his face and even memory loss which has recovered over time.

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In this clip a closer look at the artist in action carving a pipe:

 

I enjoy the variety of faces produced by the artist. He does a great job of mixing profiles with straight on faces which makes his work very intriguing to look at!

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Artist of the moment…………Charles Loloma

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alfred university, charles loloma, hopi, jewelry, native american, painter, potter, sculptor

 

 

 

 

Charles Loloma was a Native American artist. Charles Loloma was born in Hotevilla- Bacavi, Arizona in the year 1921. Loloma was of Hopi ancestry. As an artist he was a painter, potter, and jewelry maker.

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Loloma served his country in the Second World War from 1942- 1945. After the war and with the G.I. bill the artist attended Alfred University School for American Craftsman.

The artist was married to a fellow artist, a potter named Otellie Pasiyava. Both he and his wife earned a certificate in pottery from Alfred University. One goal of the couple was to take the knowledge about pottery they had gained in college, and spread the knowledge back on their own reservation.

Loloma was commissioned to create a piece of jewelry for the Queen of Denmark.

Charles Loloma passed away in 1991. He was seventy-one years of age.

Charles Loloma had a great knack for designing intriguing jewelry designs. His use of bold color designs makes his work stand out from his peers.

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Artist of the moment…….Melanie Yazzie

Tags

melanie yazzie, native american, navajo, painter, printmaker

 

 

 

Melanie Yazzie is a contemporary Navajo artist working in a variety of mediums. The artist works as a painter, printmaker, ceramics master, sculptor, and installation artist. The artist grew up on the Navajo Nation.

Melanie Yazzie was born in Ganado, Arizona. The artist attended college at the Westtown School in Philadelphia. She finished her B.A. degree at the University of Arizona at Phoenix. Yazzie went on to earn a M.F.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Yazzie is now the head of printmaking at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has taught at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Sante Fe University of Art and Design, Boise State University, and the University of Arizona.

The artist enjoys telling stories in her printmaking work. One recurring item from her childhood is the flour sack. The company that made the sacks also provided clothes and the sacks themselves could be used as curtains and table cloths.

When the artist creates landscapes she often uses an aerial view looking down on her subject, a bird’s eye view.

In this clip we view visit an exhibition by Melanie Yazzie from 2015:

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Below a brief interview with Melanie Yazzie talking about a recent project:

What a fun style the artist has created. Her bird’s eye views give a unique perspective to the viewer.

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Artist of the moment………..Joseph No Two Horns

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custer's last stand, joseph no two horns, ledger art, montana, native american, sculptures

 

 

Joseph No Two Horns was a Native American artist renown for his ledger art. Joseph No Two Horns was born in 1852. In addition to his ledger works the artist also created sculptures and shields.

Joseph No Two Horns was the cousin of the famed Native American leader Sitting Bull. He fought alongside his cousin in Custer’s Last Stand.

A historic legend about the artist was that his horse took seven bullets before collapsing in the famous battle of Custer’s Last Stand.

Over his lifetime the artist participated in more than 40 battles.

Joseph No Two Horns passed away in 1942.

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What an incredible life of adventure! From being on the winning team at Custer’s Battlefield and producing many images of this scene, to creating works of art in memory of this occassion and his outstanding horse, Joseph No Two Horns lived a very long and exciting life. His style of ledger art seems the most skilled when it comes to drawing of the people and the animals.

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Artist of the moment…………Christine McHorse

Tags

christine mchorse, institute of american indian arts, native american, navajo, New Mexico, pottery, sante fe

 

 

Christine McHorse is a Natve American sculptor. McHorse represents the Navajo nation. Christine McHorse was born in Morenci, Arizona in the year 1948.

McHorse began to create pottery after marrying a man who was a Taos Pueblo Indian named Joel McHorse. His grandmother was a renown potter named Lena Archuleta. Archuleta taught McHorse to make ceramics using the local clay.

The artist attended the Institute of American Indian Arts.

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In this clip we view a vessel by the artist:

McHorse is part of the collection of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art.

Below we view another work by Christine McHorse:

Although she creates both realist and abstract works, her abstract work is very interesting for the amount of unique and organic shapes they contain.

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Artist of the moment……….Juan Harrison

Tags

carver, johnson antonio, juan harrison, native american, san juan river, wood

 

 

 

 

Juan Harrison is a contemporary sculptor. Juan Harrison was born in the year 1953. Harrison represents the Dine Navajo Nation.

Harrison was inspired to become an artist because of his uncle who was a folk artist named Johnson Antonio.

The artist was an art show and he saw his reflection in the sunglasses of an art collector. Harrison got the idea to create similar works from this experience. Many of his work feature people wearing sunglasses.

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Harrison gets ideas for his work by observing people at ceremonies and at leisure.

The artist finds wood for his carvings along the San Juan River.

Harrison is working towards a goal of becoming a full time artist. For now he works as an artist and also in the construction industry.

What a great style! Very similar to the Inuit or Shona artists who do a great job at capturing their unique lifestyle. Harrison’s work is great because it combines newer items from contemporary culture, such as sunglasses, with traditional Native American ideas such as clothing.

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Artist of the moment………..Frank Big Bear

Tags

frank big bear, george morrison, muralist, native american, ojibwe, painter, university of minnesota, white earth indian reservation

 

 

 

Frank Big Bear is a contemporary Native American painter. Frank Big Bear was born in White Earth, Minnesota in the year 1953. The artist spent his childhood on the White Earth Indian Reservation before moving to Minneapolis at the age of sixteen.

Big Bear often works with the face and figure talking about current social issues.

The artist attended college for one year the University of Minnesota. Although he was at the college for only one year he met his biggest mentor in painter George Morrison. Both Morrison and Big Bear represent the Ojibwe tribe.

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Big Bear often creates his work using Prismacolor pencils or acrylic paints.

In 2003 the artist worked with his son to create a 26 foot long mural at the Plains Art Museum located in Fargo, North Dakota.

Below a brief documentary on the artist:

What I enjoy most about this artist is his combination of styles of surrealism and the more traditional Native American painting that tells a story.

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Artist of the moment………Daisy Youngblood

Tags

animals, ceramics, daisy youngblood, face, figure, genius grant, macarthur fellowship, native american, painter, sculptor

 

 

 

Daisy Youngblood is a Native American sculptor and ceramist with a modernist style. Daisy Youngblod was born in Asheville, North Carolina in the year 1945.

Youngblood attended the Richmond Professional Institute which eventually became part of Virginia Commonwealth University.

In 1967 the artist relocated to New York City.

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In 1984 the artist relocated to Costa Rica.

Youngblood is part of many prominent collections including the Museum of Modern Art located in New York City, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Honolulu Museum of Art.

In 1991 the artist moved to Bisbee, Arizona.

In 1999 the artist relocated to Sante Fe, New Mexico. In 2003 she moved back to Costa Rica.

The artist is a past recipient of a genius grant from the MacArthur Foundation.

My favorite works by this great artist are her images of the figure. Many parts of anatomy are left out causing the viewer to focus more on feeling and emotional content of character not if he resemble an actual person.

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Artist of the moment……..Aaron Cajero

Tags

aaron cajero, animals, butterflies, feathers, jemez pueblo, native american, potter

 

 

 

Aaron Cajero is a contemporary Native American potter. Aaron Cajero was born in the year 1966. Cajero represents the Fire Clan of Jemez Pueblo.

The artist began working with clay in 1993. He learned much of knowledge from other members of his family. Cajero uses clay and elements found in his local area.

Cajero uses the traditional snake coil method. To fire his work the artist also uses the ancient method of using cedar wood chips for heat source.

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The artist often carves unique subjects including feathers and animals on his vessels.

Cajero has a great sense of design and is a very competent draftsman.

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