ABC Wednesday-"N"-Navajo artist, David K. John #2

To see a full explanation of the artist, check yesterday's post.

"The first thing most viewer notice in one of John's large, beguiling acrylics is color. It's impossible to ignore.  Color fills the canvas...the hues are vivid, pulsating.  This is color that breathes and beats its chest. 'I like red, blue, yellow - the primary colors, ' John says. (Credit: handout from the Kiva Gallery).

ABC Wednesday "N"- Navajo artist

When I visited the Kiva Gallery I was drawn to these masks, by David K. John, a NAVAJO artist who began to draw while in grade school.  "Now one of the most accomplished Native American artists in the country at age 43, he feels depthless gratitude, he says, for both the deprivations and the glories of his childhood. 'In some ways,' John reflects, 'we didn't have anything.  By normal standards, we were very poor. But in other ways, we were really fortunate.  We had the earth, this beautiful land around us, and, thanks to my great-grandfather, we had our people's culture.  I got to know my heritage.  It's part of me. I couldn't be an artist without it.' He pauses. 'I couldn't even be me without it.' The man, his past, and his people's past are plaited into his art. 'It's all connected,' he says. 'That's what makes what I do so exciting. Everything is connected.' (Credit: handout from Kiva Gallery)

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