James Ayers Native American Indian art - Display of Eminence sells at the Mountain Oyster show

Display of Eminence sells at the Mountain Oyster show

Painting’s development process shared

This year, at the 41^st annual Contemporary Western Art Show held by Tucson’s Mountain Oyster Club, I had the pleasure of visiting with Art and Peggy Hittner, the eventual buyers of Display of Eminence.

Before we met face-to-face, we exchanged emails about the painting. The Hittners inquired about all facets of the painting, from research to technical aspects of the work’s creation.

The Hittners’ questions were excellent, so I am sharing the questions and my answers with you:

Q: Can you tell me something more about what is being portrayed and what is the research underlying your portrayal?

Research is the bedrock of my paintings.

Understanding my research methods offers insight into my entire process.

Historical aspects

The man portrayed in Display of Eminence is a Teton Sioux (i.e., Lakota) warrior dressed and prepared for battle. The scene is set in the late 1860s, a date range illustrated by the weapon in the man’s hand.

His gun is a Winchester Yellowboy lever-action rifle, which began production in 1866. This model of weapon was a favorite amongst the Plains tribes because it was one of the first repeating rifles. The fighters and hunters could shoot with it far faster than they could notch arrows into their bows.  Plains people traded and raided to acquire these valuable firearms.

The man is also wearing a full headdress typical of a powerful Lakota warrior.

There are stylistic elements included in the bonnet which were used by the Two Kettles (aka “Two Boilings”) sub-tribe of the Lakota. The Two Kettles band is not commonly known today, but it was a sizable group in the mid-1800s with approximately 100 lodges.

Finally, the warrior’s horse features a painted circle around the eye — a motif believed to strengthen the horse’s eyesight.

Composition is the most important facet of a painting to me.

With a compelling composition in place, I can explore my subject matter for maximum impact.

Vantage Point

The key to this entire painting is the vantage point of the warrior on the horse to you, the viewer. As you can see, the warrior is positioned in the way that he would look if you were on the ground looking up at him on his horse. Immediately, this perspective communicates the warrior’s advantage both in terms of strength and authority.

Rhythm

Rhythm is important in a painting because it allows your eye to flow through the image – leading you from one part to another for full engagement with the piece.

There are actually two rhythmic constructions in this painting: diagonal lines and concave curves.

For the diagonal lines, notice how the horse’s head, the rifle, and the warrior’s body all form parallel lines. This makes a dynamic negative space behind the figure.

Once you focus on the negative space, the eye is then drawn throughout the painting by the concave curves in the reins, the clouds and the horse’s back.

Q: Did you use a particular model?

The warrior in this painting is an amalgam and not based on a specific model.

I am not opposed to using models, but in my experience, it is difficult in modern times to find a person with the athleticism, authority, horsemanship, etc. I need who is also free to model.

Instead, what I do is this:

• Rely on my research into the tribal genetic differences to make sure I capture distinct features typical of those groups of people (nose shape of the Plains Indians, rounder faces of the Navajo, etc.)
• Add my understanding of how a tribe’s environment impacted their physical bodies. For example, agrarian lifestyles led to smaller and softer physiques whereas hunters/gatherers tended to be larger and leaner.
• Utilize knowledge gleaned in the dozens of sessions I’ve had with actual models from different tribes
• Capture physical movement, flexing muscles, and the like with anatomical reference texts

Q: How does this work relate to your general body of work to date?

Although I often work in the narrow time band of the height of the Plains cultures, there are so many stories to tell and facets to explore that I will never exhaust them all.

For Display of Eminence, I was able to combine diverse knowledge I gleaned from research for three significant projects from 2010:

• My understanding of the Teton Sioux came from a commission that is currently on display at the Tucson Museum of Art.
• I explored the often unrecognized Two Kettles band in my one of the pieces from my 2010 one-man show, Portraits of Honor
• In my research, I have been exploring ancient warfare techniques from the Chinese military strategy text Art of War by Sun Tzu and learning how the Plains Indians also used these principles

Art Collectors: Do you have a question for me about my work?

Please contact me. I welcome your questions or comments.