Native Portraits
The Yellowboy
11 x 14 oil on linen
$1100
The Winchester 1866 repeating rifle was an improvement over the earlier Henry rifle. It was referred to as the "yellowboy" because of its distinctive brass frame and buttplate. It held 17 rounds, and its 30 inch barrel fit well slanted in a scabbard which protected it while climbing a steep slope or undergoing a horse mishap. I depicted the rifle defensively held in the hands of a young Crow warrior. Some might say the Yellowboy "won the west," and some might say the opposite.
Connecting With The Sacred
16 x 20 oil on linen
$2000
Through time, white men have coveted all the Shoshone have. Personally, I covet their quiet dignity, passion for their beautiful culture, and genial humor. Here is Rozina George, direct descendant of Sacagawea, historian and Shoshone elder. We visited with our friends last summer as they toured some of the lands from which they were removed. The US Congress never ratified the treaty which preceded their removal. I live on Shoshone land.
Indian Summer
16 x 20 oil on linen panel
$2200
My model, Kelly, is an Anishinaabe woman, born in northern Wisconsin. As a young adult, Kelly was introduced to her birth mother and family. In a special naming ceremony, she received her Annishinabe name, “Bih-Mih- Say-Kway,” which means Spirit Bird Flying Woman. Autumn in Minnesota is my favorite time of year, here Kelly shows her Native beauty in an evening light.
The Arikara
16 x 20, oil on canvas
$1800
"Tatanka Oyate"
The Buffalo People
11 x 14 oil on linen
$1400
I am in awe of the thought of immense herds of buffalo and how they sustained and enriched the lives of the plains tribes. Echoes of the past are there if we will respectfully listen.
Shoshone Elder
16 x 20 oil on linen panel
$2400
This respected Shoshone elder, Clyde Dixey, asked me to paint his portrait. He wanted me to know that many of the feathers in his “war bonnet” were earned by his grandfather.
Shoshone Chief Tendoy signed the 1868 treaty because he saw “the white man coming and coming.” The Shoshone of Montana were moved from their historic land when gold was discovered in Alder Gulch, but the treaty was never ratified by the U.S. Senate. The Shoshone never received what they were promised.
I have never met a more friendly and generous group of people than the Shoshone. Their friendship has meant a great deal to me and my wife, Liz. Painting portraits of some of the Shoshone who come back to visit their ancestral homeland has been for me an act of reverence to their indomitable spirit. The annual Shoshone-Bannock Pow Wow is held the third weekend in July in Virginia City, Montana