Charles Lovato, Kewa Artist

The only major painter to come from Kewa, Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico, Charles Lovato became a painter of abstract subjects, muralist, illustrator, poet, and craftsman. His paintings were unique and were unrelated to Pueblo traditions. As a jeweler, Lovato made heishe, or shell necklaces, for which the Santo Domingo Pueblo is well known.

At an early age, he was adopted by his grandmother, Monica Silva, who was a potter. He served in the U.S. Military (Navy). He also studied art under Jose Ray Toledo in Santa Fe and settled in New Mexico. After 1967 many of his paintings were accompanied by one of his poems. He explained that sometimes the poem came first and sometimes were written in response to the painting.

Charles Fredric Lovato (1937-1988) died at his native Kewa Pueblo. Note that Charles Lovato's Death Year of 1988 provided by Karen Lovato.

Sources:

- Peter Falk, Who Was Who in American Art, p. 2066

- Patrick D. Lester, The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters, p. 326

TAGS: Kewa Pueblo (Santo Domingo), prints, jewelery, necklaces, Monica Silva, pottery, Jose Ray Toledo, Southwest Indian Paintings