Hyrum Joe (Navajo), Pawnee War Paint, oil on canvas, 14 x 11”“Blue Rain Gallery invites you to explore a meticulously curated fusion of artistic genres, where the past and present converge seamlessly,” explains Leah Garcia, director of marketing for the gallery. “With a 30-year history as a premier destination gallery in the Southwest, owner Leroy Garcia has been a guiding force in elevating contemporary Native art. [He] brings together the exceptional talents of today’s celebrated Native artists, showcasing their multifaceted works that span the spectrum from the contemporary and cutting-edge, to the traditional and timeless.”

Preston Singletary (Tlingit), Fog Woman, cast lead crystal, 35¼ x 11½ x 7”One such “exceptional talent” is Navajo painter Hyrum Joe, the son of famous sculptor Oreland Joe. “A dedicated chronicler of the daily life of the Navajo, Hyrum Joe evinces a keen eye and a deft hand as he lovingly depicts quotidian scenes that convey the quiet dignity and humanity of his people,” says Garcia. “Joe eschews the abstract symbolism that characterizes much Native art, preferring instead to marry impressionism with realism.”

Pulled from the Blue Rain collection is Joe’s impressive portrait of a young Native American man titled Pawnee War Paint. “Although I love the images from rock art and other sources that inspire a lot of contemporary Native work, I’m personally attracted to the classical European style of figurative drawing and painting,” Joe shares. 

Starr Hardridge (Muscogee Creek Nation), Friday Night Dance, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 12”Attendees will also recognize the work of Tlingit glass artist Preston Singletary in works like Fog Woman, a gorgeous blue totem sculpture that was made from a wood carving. “It was designed by me, carved with traditional tools and rendered as a traditional totem pole by David Franklin, an associate of mine,” the artist says. “It was then sent to the Czech Republic and cast in glass through a lost-wax process which is akin to bronze casting.”

Dan Friday (Lummi Nation), Owl Totem, furnace sculpted glass, 18½ x 5 x 6”

Lisa Holt (Cochiti Pueblo) and Harlan Reano (Santo Domingo/Kewa Pueblo), (left) Geometric Pot, natural clay with acrylic paint, 9½ x 9”, and (right) Sea Horse Dragon, natural clay with pigments and acrylic paint, 13½ x 15 x 8”

Singletary is known for his partnerships with  other Blue Rain artists, making for rare and exceptional contemporary visions. “Collaborations are something I like to do because I learn how other people interpret their culture and I learn new forms,” says Singletary. “My mission is to carve out a place for glass in the contemporary Indigenous art market. Traditional materials are increasingly rare, so more contemporary artists are open to trying new materials, and it’s interesting to see how ancient symbolism can carry over into a new age.”

Stetson Honyumptewa (Hopi), Zuni Gods, carved cottonwood root, 15 x 6½ x 8”Yet another fascinating contemporary display for the exhibition is the colorful geometric piece Friday Night Dance by Starr Hardridge (Muscogee Creek Nation). “I am a pointillist painter who works primarily in acrylic,” says Hardridge. “My paintings are influenced by beadwork aesthetics and Eastern Woodland themes. I hope that people appreciate the intense complexity and commitment to the innovative way that I approach painting, [along with] the stories that I have to tell. It is hard to maintain a sense of balance in the current reality and state of the world—this is what I strive to obtain in my art work.”

The exhibition, which runs  through March 29, will also include works by Dan Friday, Jody Naranjo, Russell Sanchez, Lisa Holt and Harlan Reano, and Stetson Honyumptewa, among many others.

Blue Rain Gallery
March 15-29, 2024
544 S. Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 954-9902, www.blueraingallery.com

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