Kiowa Chief- Sitting Bear

Sitting Bear 

11" x 14

SOLD"

Sitting Bear is well documented as the leader of the Kiowa 10 Bravest War Society (called the Ko-eetsenko in the Kiowa Language).  The chief was born in the Black Hills of South Dakota around 1810. He had six wives and several children before his death in 1871. This poainting was done from a photograph taken near the end of his life when he lived on a reservation. There were many photos of Sitting Bear but I found this one the most interesting. Edward Curtis, the photographer, created black and white portraits of thousands of Indians during the late 19th century and early 20th. The Indian's way of life changed drastically during that period and without Curtis' photos  much of their history might have disappeared.

Sitting Bear lived in Oklahoma when it was simply called, "Indian Territory." He was honored for his bravery and leadership. During his lifetime he watched as Indian families were separated and relocated to reservations. He strived to keep his family together.

One story in particular illustrates this well:

"Old Chief Sitting Bear left the Kiowa reservation against the threats of his U.S. Army overseers. His reason was to retrieve the bones of his son in Texas and bring them back home. Following Kiowa beliefs, the family unit was of primary importance throughout ones life.

Upon his return, he was captured, shackled and taken by wagon to Ft. Sill for leaving the reservation. With Ft. Sill in sight, he told the wagon driver and escort, "See that tree up ahead? You will not live to see the other side." He then stood up and began to sing his death song:

 'O sun. You remain forever, but we Ko-eetsenko must die.

 'O earth you remain forever, but we Ko-eetsenko must die."

According to Kiowa oral history, when he ended his song, he pulled a knife that he had been concealing and took the life of the wagon driver. The escort immediately shot Old Chief Sitting Bear to his death. It is said that Sitting Bear would rather give up his life than live without the remains of his cherished son."

Profiles

I don't do a lot of portraits using a profile view. I'm not sure why because they're just as intriguing, in my opinion. This one is a bit larger than life size and I painted it at the request of a client who owns another one of my American Indian paintings. That one is a Nez Perce warrior and the male is facing left. So I painted this one as a mate to that painting, using the same background and solemn side view, but facing to the right.

She is based loosely on another Edward Curtis black and white photograph, circa 1900.

12" x 16" oil on canvas

Nez Perce Maiden

Use Quality Materials But Don't Be Afraid to Experiment!

Last night brought another opportunity to admire the work of Edward Curtis, the premier Western photographer, who traveled so extensively among the North American Indian tribes. I adapted this painting from a black and white photograph and added a background from a picture I took in Sedona, AZ last year. I decided to experiment with grounds and I used a support I made myself: a sanded and gessoed 1/2" thick piece of birch. I like this surface for plein air painting because it's so absorbent and it hastens the speed of the drying. The uneven texture of the gesso offers a bit of variety to the paint application too. If you're an artist, you know we're always looking for new ways to explore a subject and sometimes a change as simple as what you paint on can make a huge difference.

Let's talk about materials for a minute. I have watched so many students struggle with cheaply made canvas and student grade paints that I think it's important to begin painting with artist quality materials immediately! How can a beginner judge whether they will like painting if the results they get are dictated by their materials? The answer is that they can't. Low quality paint will almost always result in chalky mixtures and dull color because the fillers in the paint will overpower the pigments.

What you paint on is just as important as the paint you use to paint it with. Quality materials save time and insure your painting will stand the test of time. I once went out plein air painting with some fellow artists and one of the gals showed up with mat board to paint on. I have used acrylics on gessoed mat board but oil paints should never be used on paper supports because they're not compatible. We were painting in a public place and my artist friend actually found a buyer for her painting and sold it immediately. Great for the artist- but not so good for the buyer when he finds out his painting will begin to seriously deteriorate in a few years.

If you're going to invest the time and effort in painting make sure you do a little research and purchase the best materials you can afford. Don't be afraid to experiment but don't compromise the quality of your work if you intend to sell it by using substandard grounds. 

 CHIEF BEAR CLAW

 11" x 14"

 oil on gessoed wooden panel

 DETAIL

showing the gessoed support

and how it differs from a canvas texture

Working in a series

When I do a painting that I enjoy, I tend to want to repeat the process. The Indian girl with the desert background was a lot of fun to paint. I enjoy trying to create skin tones from scratch because it really challenges everything you know about painting. Warm light or cool? Reflected light or not? What if the sun is setting? How much effect does the blue of the stratosphere have on the upturned planes of the face? It's like a puzzle, and I love trying to figure all the pieces out. I have to admit it's become a lot easier since I started painting outdoors. Natural light is so much better than artificial, when you're trying to judge hues.

This is a loose painting of a Sioux chief, inspired by another one of the thousands of pictures taken by Edward Curtis. I took 20 years off the man and lightened his expression a bit. The original was so sad, and I didn't want a sad painting. I mean, I still want the viewer to feel some empathy with the chief but I was mostly after a feeling of pride and slight defiance. I left the headdress very loose and impressionistic.

11" x 14" oil on canvas

$400