Subject:  When will you be at Exposures in Sedona again?

Date:  Thu, May 31, 2018

Today we bought “Legend Keeper” & “Good Thunder” giclees @ Exposures to add to our collection. We are definite fans and hope to see you again. We met you and Denise at your gallery in Taos a few years ago. We were quite impressed with both of you. We have 4 other of your paintings at home in Globe, Arizona.

Hope to see you soon.
Gary & Teresa J

We live in Idaho and collected/bought several of Jd’s masterworks, both from the Sedona gallery and while he was in residence at Jackson Hole.

We feel lucky to have met and to have known him.

He shared his passion (as he himself called it) and explained some of the hidden symbolism in his work to us.

So I shared my passion and gave my book of poetry to him – we agreed that pictures were his thing and words were mine.

Our items include some four originals and a personal sketch that are not apparently in this picture archive ( and not for sale !!) so wondered if you would like some photos of them for the sake of completeness .

He wanted his work to be seen and to be enjoyed.

Do let us know.
Best wishes
— Romney & Vicky D

While visiting Jd’s studio, we learned he liked Maurice’s BBQ Sauce, from Columbia, SC. When we got home, a case was sent to him. We also own three paintings.
— Ron L

White Breast

Mon-Gay-Ska
White Breast: Omaha

The warrior White Breast carries the moon on his shield. The moon is the night sun. any Native American languages have but one name for the sun and moon and each is distinguished by night or day.
When we dance until daylight our father, the Moon, takes pity on us – Ahe’e’ye!
When we dance until daylight our father, the Moon, takes pity on us – Ahe’e’ye!
The father says so – Ahe’e’ye!
The father says so – Ahe’e’ye!

Spirit of the Canyon

Thig
Spirit: Arapaho

It is understood that in the early Arapaho belief system, the spirit would lies in the west on a higher level above earth and separated by water. The crow the sacred bird of the Ghost Dance, leads the departed to this world.

The Crow is making a road,
He is making a road,
He has finished it,
His children,
His children , , ,
Then he collected them,
Then he collected them on the farther side.

Diné Biké Yah

The Native featured in this painting is a Navajo friend of Jd’s. (We do not give out the actual name of persons per request.) He is wearing a Navajo blanket made by Navajo women. The land around him & behind him is what is now called Monument Valley in Arizona. To the Navajo Nation this land is known as” the people’s valley” (THEIR VALLEY) which once belonged to them & in their hearts & minds still does. The word DINE’ in the title means “The People” which is the name they prefer to be known as.

Wild Cat Renegade, Act II

Wild Cat, also known as Coacoochee or Cowacoochee (c. 1807/1810–1857) was a leading Seminole chieftain during the later stages of the Second Seminole War. U.S. military records show that Wild Cat was considered a fierce warrior leader. He was a good looking guy, considered to be a Seminole ‘Robin Hood’. He became a hero to the Seminoles.

A leader, warrior and diplomat, Wild Cat led the Seminole resistance against the U.S. Army in Florida during the latter stages of the Second Seminole War. The Seminole were forced south and into the Everglade region around Kissimmee, Florida, by the U.S. military during the Seminole Wars from 1835 to 1842.

In October 1837, Wild Cat appeared before American forces in a ceremonial peace headdress, claiming to be an emissary of the war chief Osceola. After he negotiated with Colonel Thomas S. Jesup, American authorities agreed to peace talks, but when the Seminole representatives arrived, Jessup ordered their arrest. While imprisoned at Fort Marion, Wild Cat escaped with nineteen other Seminole. 

During that time, the Seminole didn’t think they could make it. Food was scarce. Wild Cat resorted to raiding the resources that were coming in for the US Army. When food came in, Wildcat and his band would raid. They set up a fire brigade style of taking things – one Seminole would get the goods, then would pass off to the next, etc. They went from town to town raiding. This became a major nuisance to the towns as they were constantly being raided.

One of those raids ended up to be on a Shakespeare group. Raided theatrical group, they took everything – Shakespeare’s people were left  naked.

Whoever was in charge of the Army Fort in that are got a message to Wild Cat and his band saying that they wanted a truce – If the Seminole would stop raiding, the Army would stop tracking them. Wildcat agreed to meeting with the Army. He wanted to look good for the meeting, so Wildcat dressed as Hamlet. When he showed up, he totally denied the raid saying “we don’t know, we didn’t do it”.

This is where idea came from for the painting “Wild Cat Renegade Act II”.  The skull is from Hamlet. The backdrop in the painting is an old Shakespeare backdrop from their theatre.

Ashes to Dust

He just couldn’t get it quite right, and it really bothered him. He was using a model that he had often used before, but it just wasn’t coming out looking like him.

Finally, Jd gave up on the model and said: “Well, let’s see who you are, then.” So he finished the portrait without letting himself get in the way.

How the Red Bird Got It’s Color

Retold by Barbara Shining Woman Warren • see Cherokee words below.

Gv-li loved to tease wa-ya. One day gv-li teased wa-ya so much that wa-ya became very angry. Wa-ya began to chase gv-li through the woods. Gv-li, being the clever animal that he is, kept ahead of wa-ya.

Gv-li came to a river. Instead of jumping in the river, he quickly climbed a tall tree and peered over a branch to see what wa-ya would do next.

When wa-ya came to the river, he saw the reflection of gv-li in the water. Thinking that it was gv-li, wa-ya jumped in and tried to catch him. Wa-ya continued to search for gv-li for such a long time that he became so tired he nearly drowned. Finally, tired and exhausted, wa-ya climbed up the river bank and fell fast asleep. After a while, gv-li quietly climbed down the tree and slipped over to the sleeping wa-ya. While wa-ya slept, gv-li began to plaster the eyes of wa-ya with mud. Then when he had finished, gv-li ran off through the woods laughing to himself thinking of the clever trick he had played.

Later, wa-ya woke up. He began to whine, “Oh, someone please help me. I can’t see. I can’t open my eyes.” But no one came to help him.

At long last, u-wo-di-ge tsi-s-qua heard the cries of wa-ya. He flew over to wa-ya and landed on his shoulder. He said, “What’s the matter Brother Wolf? Can I help you?” wa-ya cried, “I can’t open my eyes. Oh, please help me to see again.” U-wo-di-ge tsi-s-qua said, “I’m just a little brown bird but I will help you if I can.” Wa-ya said, ” u-wo-di-ge tsi-s-qua, if you can help me to see again, I will take you to a magic rock that oozes red paint. We will paint your feathers gi-ga-ge.”

U-wo-di-ge tsi-s-qua began pecking away at the dried mud on the eyes of wa-ya. Soon wa-ya could open his eyes again. True to his promise wa-ya said, “Thank you, my brother; now jump up onto my shoulder.” Away they ran through the woods to the rock that oozed red paint.

When they came to the rock, wa-ya reached up and plucked a twig from a tree branch. He chewed the end of the twig until it was soft and pliable like the end of a paint brush. Then he dipped the end of the twig into the red paint and began to paint the feathers of u-wo-di-ge tsi-s-qua.

When all of his feathers were gi-ga-ge, tsi-s-qua flew off to show his family and friends how beautiful he was. That is why, from that day to this, you can see to-tsu-wa flying around the woods in Cherokee country.

Cherokee Words:

wolf – wa-ya

raccoon – gv-li

bird – tsi-s-qua

brown – u-wo-di-ge

red – gi-ga-ge

red bird – to-tsu-wa

Paiute

History traces the Paiute Indians back to around 1200AD where they were thought to inhabit an area in Utah now called Bryce Canyon. Consisting mainly of foragers, gatherers and hunters, their main source of food were rabbits, deer, mountain sheep, berries, buds and roots. Having also settled very close to some of the local main rivers of Utah such as the Virgin, they were able to practice irrigation and raising wheat, corn and squashes.

The Paiute Indians evolved into a tribe with a very close-knit social foundation with family bands branching off and being named after resources or geographical features. These strong family bonds meant that having a natural leader was very rare, preferring to rely on being led by a chief who was more of a facilitator of consensus rather than a ruler.

Although contact with Europeans could have easily affected the way the Paiute Indians went about their day-to-day lives and changing their religious beliefs, it was thought to be the Mormons in 1850s that really affected them, taking over their living and hunting spaces. The primal effect was population reduction of the Paiutes from starvation and disease.

The Paiutes lived on, however and remained a strong community applying for an official reservation in 1891 near St.George with further reservations being established in 1915, 1928 and 1929 at Indian Peaks, Koosharem and Kanosh respectively. even with the presence of these reservations, the Indian natives were never regarded as true citizens, with little federal help and funding being offered with the women spending their lives as maids and the men as farm labor and railroad workers. By 1935, it was the Paiutes took a stand for their rights and adopted the Wheeler-Howard Act which allowed them to practice tribal self-governance and the protection of their reservations. along with funding from the federal reserve.

The Paiute run of luck was to come to a close in the 50s though, when Utah Senator Arthur Watkins instigated the termination policy from Congress, despite acknowledgement that the tribe would be unable to survive without federal assistance. The clan fought back and applied for rights of ownership to the land that they lost when the Europeans settled in North America and were granted 27 cents in every acre in 1965 – the funds were drip fed 6 years later which launched the construction of housing units for the Paiute people between 1976 and 1989.

It wasn’t until Senator Carter re-recognised the existence of the Paiute people in 1980 that they were granted federal inclusion again, some 7 years later after petitions were raised once again by the Indians. In February of 1984, they were granted 4,470 acres of poor land that was scattered across the South West area of Utah along with an incredibly helpful $2.5 million fund for tribal services and development of their economy. The Paiute people put this much-needed grant to excellent use, allocating it to healthcare, educational, housing and industry.