Harriette Tsosie:
Creative Journey
Portfolio
Harriette Tsosie
14
The Mentor and the Medium
Like most artists who work with wax, I was already
working in another medium when I discovered
encaustic. I had studied acrylic painting with Jules
Kirschenbaum, a New York artist who was “in-residence”
at Drake University (Des Moines, IA) when
my then- spouse accepted a faculty position there.
As a faculty wife I was able to take
classes without paying tuition. I
enrolled in Jules’ courses repeatedly,
fully embracing the master/
apprentice relationship. We not only
painted, we read and discussed
books he assigned. (Mine was
Celine’s existential Journey to the
End of the Night). More than how
to paint, Jules showed us how to
live as artists. He encouraged our
intellectual curiosity. I think most
artists have had a mentor like Jules
sometime during their creative
journey. Without one, the journey is
lonely and difficult.
Moving to the Land of Enchantment
I moved to New Mexico in 1995
and soon bought a small house in
a rural area. After Iowa’s gloomy
interior light, New Mexico made
my eyes happy. I was surrounded
by beautiful landscapes and fascinating
cultures. For the first time,
I had dedicated studio space--a
small concrete block building on
the property -- and time to paint on
the weekends. (I worked full time
until 2003).
I continued painting with layers of
acrylic washes, as Jules had taught me. The layers
gave both physical and psychological depth to the
work. I liked that. I didn’t want to do work devoid of
meaning. I saw painting as wordless communication,
believing that recognizable images communicated
more powerfully than abstract ones. By
working in a series, I explored my subjects from
multiple perspectives. “Migration” was the first
series of acrylic paintings I completed after coming
to New Mexico. It was based on a piece of music
by Carlos Nakai and Peter Kater. It included twelve
12” x 12” canvases, referencing the movements of
their work.
“Migration”, Detail (Movement
#1: Wandering), 12”X12”, 2002,
Acrylic on canvas.
Winter
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