Adobe Gallery Blog

Tommy Montoya's 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 and has created an extraordinary drawing in this instance.

The painting is beautifully framed using all acid-free matting and silver tinted wood frame.

Provenance: From the estate of the artist. This pastel painting and the accompanying one (Item #25259) are two of the completed paintings remaining at the studio of Montoya when he passed away. He had just completed these two and was working on a third one.

Subject: Original Painting "The Harvest Dancer" by Tommy Edward Montoya
Artist: Tommy Edward Montoya (d.17 August 2009) Than Ts'áy Tas
Category: Paintings
Origin: Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo (San Juan)
Medium: Pastel
Size: 27" x 21" image; 40-1/2" x 33-1/2" framed
Item # 25260