Adobe Gallery Blog
Ohkay Owingeh Pastel Drawing of Katsina Dancing by Than Ts'áy Tas - C3417
Tommy Edward Montoya (1952-2009) Than Ts'áy Tas pastel drawings of traditional pueblo rites represent the blending of old and new that characterizes the work of young Native American artists. Authenticity is not something he studied; it is something he lived. As an active participant in pueblo ritual life, his works were created from memory. Montoya's dancers are not frozen in shape or time. They are, instead, the artist's personal expression of the color and motion of the moment. He liked to push his figures to the edges of the canvas or art board. That produced the feeling that they were being contained within borders and made them more dynamic and energetic. He was an extraordinary artist who created an extraordinary drawing in this instance.