The Spider Woman is one of the most important goddesses in the Southwest Native culture. She is multi-faceted and has amazing power over her people. There are geographic landmarks named for her as well as constellations, myths, and stories of all kinds. As I have said, she is the equal to Isis in Ancient Egypt and Athena in Greece. The row of … [Read more...] about Spider Woman’s Cross
Amazing Amazonite
One of the most exciting things about my Lessons projects is unearthing new pigments heretofore unknown. Amazonite is one that I discovered sometime back, and it's sold through the Daniel Smith company in Seattle. They do not sell it in the powder form, which I would have preferred, so I bought a tube of the oil shown here pure from the … [Read more...] about Amazing Amazonite
It’s Just My Job
In past times many Southwest Native American cultures differed profoundly from the European-derived concept of art or artist. In most Native American languages, no word existed that meant art or artist. One person might be better at something than another might. When describing a nicely woven basket or well-carved piece of wood, terms such as, … [Read more...] about It’s Just My Job
Spider Woman Meets Wedding Planner
The first painting in this Southwest themed project, Lessons from the Spider Woman, is finished. The entire painting, actual title, and size will be revealed as time draws closer to the exhibit date. My artistic license is used lavishly here not only in the Spider Woman mythology but also in the imaginative depiction of the story. Spider Woman is … [Read more...] about Spider Woman Meets Wedding Planner
Uber Azurite
One of the most spectacular mineral colors is azurite/malachite, which was at one time abundant and found in many places around the world including Arizona. It has been used by both artists of the past and today. This magnificent chunk is at the Tohona Botanical Garden in Tucson, AZ. The color absolutely made my heart go flip flop when I first … [Read more...] about Uber Azurite
The World Over
One enduring concept has become clear to me during my years of historical pigment research. The colors used in world cultures throughout the ages are many of the very same pigments. The earth itself over thousands of centuries has created a harmonious palette of archival and readily available colors to create some of the most beautiful and enduring … [Read more...] about The World Over