Original Painting of Koosa, Avanyu and Rainbow [SOLD]

Before a silkscreen print can be made, there must be an original work of art from which to make the screen print.  In the early 1950s, Navajo and Pueblo artists were contacted by Tewa Enterprises of Santa Fe to provide original works of art from which Tewa could make silkscreen prints.

Silk-screen printing is a stencil technique. Each color in a silkscreen print requires a separate stencil. The stencils are adhered to or directly painted onto the silk-screen fabric which is stretched over a wooden or metal frame and positioned over the printing paper. A thin paint is then poured along the inside edge of the frame.  Using a rubber-edged ‘squeegee’, the paint is forced through the fabric and stenciled onto the paper below. A typical Tewa print required about 10 colors.

Having seen an original painting of Koosa, Avanyu and Rainbows by San Ildefonso Pueblo artist  Awa Tsireh, printers at Tewa asked J. D. Roybal (Awa Tsireh’s nephew) to paint something similar from which Tewa could make prints.  Roybal practically copied his uncle’s painting in detail, to the amusement of the Tewa staff.  This painting is the original by J. D. Roybal from which Tewa did make silkscreen prints.

As was always the case, Roybal did an excellent job in presenting details. He was an exceptional artist who always paid attention to minor details, and was particularly fond of painting Koosa (Tewa Clowns). The geometric structure under the rainbow is an architectural masterpiece.  The bodies of the two Avanyu are incorporated into the triangle of design. 

Condition: original condition

Recommended Reading: Southwest Indian Painting: A Changing Art by Clara Lee Tanner

Provenance: from the archives of Tewa Enterprises