Lakota, Mandan, and Cheyenne tribes featured in this newest collection

Spring has sprung!

For my Western art fans, springtime means brand new works, readied for my two May shows.

The paintings below will be featured in the Cottonwood Art Festival in Richardson, TX (Dallas) May 5-7, 2012 and the Phippen Museum Miniature Masterpieces Show, which is part of the annual Phippen Museum Western Art Show May 25 – 28, 2012.

Buyers! You can pre-purchase either of these paintings before the shows begin

Since not everyone can make it out to the show, I’m offering my three newest paintings on a pre-sale basis, with shipment immediately after the shows close.

COLLECTOR UPDATE (5/8/12): Bring It On has been sold.

Bring It On - Mandan

9″ x 12″
Oil on board
SOLD

With Her Thoughts – Lakota

9″ x 6″
Oil on board
$1,400

The Undaunted Brave will be in the Phippen Miniature Masters show–purchase by draw only

Undaunted Brave – Cheyenne

8″ x 10″
Oil on board
$1,500

If you would like to add your name to the draw box and cannot attend, please contact the Phippen Museum directly.

Please contact my studio to purchase or if you have questions

Please use my online email form: James Ayers Studios email. I look forward to hearing from you.

Interested in seeing my newest works? Please like my studio page on Facebook.

The dynamic movements of an Apache Ga’an dancer

Arizona inspirations

Although I call Colorado home, few places are as inspiring to me artistically as Arizona. I have been in The Grand Canyon State since January while participating in the Celebration of Fine Art show; my newest painting, Mountain Spirit captures the dynamic movements of an Apache Ga’an dancer as he performs.

"Mountain Spirit" by James Ayers; 24" x 30", oil on canvas, $8,100

Composition details

Working on "Mountain Spirit" at the Celebration of Fine Art Show

Mountain Spirit is keeping with my theme this year of exploring natural, slice-of-life settings.

When designing this piece, my goal was to accentuate the quality of movement inherent in the subject matter.

Prior to this work, I had only depicted a Ga’an dancer once before–and that piece showed a full-length view.

For Mountain Spirit, I purposely chose to portray the dancer in a horizontal view to force the focus on the mask and hands.

The mask is the focal point

See all the angles? I used angles everywhere as well as angular chunks of negative space to draw your eye directly to the mask.

The painting is bathed in warm colors; the yellow background is meant to provide the feeling backlighting the dancer with sunshine. Using so much yellow also makes the blue accents POP visually.

I also used foreshortening in the arms to give you the perspective of the dancer’s hands coming toward you.

Grid divided into fifths

In this picture, I have super-imposed a grid on the painting so that you can see the layout.

The mask is perfectly situated at the junction of 2/5 height and 2/5 width. This placement–as opposed to putting the mask in dead center–furthers the active, movement-filled feeling of this composition.

Fibonacci spiral showing proportions and symmetry

If you enjoy the technical aspects of art, look at the image to the left.

Super-imposed on Mountain Spirit is the so-called “Fibonacci Spiral,” which is mathematical construct found extensively in nature and utilized in compositions by Dali, da Vinci, and Mondrian (among others).

About Apache Ga’an Dancers

In February, 2012, Indian Country Today Media Network published an article on the White Mountain Apache Ga’an dancers (also called “crown dancers). The article provided an excellent description of Ga’an dancers:

“The creator sent the Ga’an (Spirit People) to guide the people, teaching them how to walk in the Holy Life Way, to be kind to each other, and to live in harmony with each other and the land.

Today’s Apaches still honor those spiritual traditions and crown dancers are called upon to evoke blessings and ward off evil at ceremonies. Ga’an dances are performed by men who invoke the mountain spirits. Four dancers representing the four sacred directions paint their bodies black and white and adorn themselves with evocative lightning designs and animal motifs. They are accompanied by a fifth dancer painted gray, an unpredictable clown who acts as a messenger to communicate with the Spirit People.

The Ga’an dancers are also instrumental in healing and cleansing ceremonies including preparing the grounds for the coming-of-age ceremony for young Apache girls just coming into womanhood.”

Mountain Spirit is now on display at the Celebration of Fine Art show in Scottsdale

Please stop by the show if you would like to see the piece in person. To purchase, please contact me directly:  James Ayers Studios.

UPDATE 2/18/12:
This offer has now expired. Thank you for your interest.

The price of three of my most popular giclees will be going up, but if you order by 2/17/12, you can still receive the lower price

As soon as the first 10 giclees in these limited editions sell, the price goes up. Three of my most popular pieces are about to cross that sales threshold.

But if you order by 11:59 pm on Friday, February 17 you will receive the original low price — regardless of edition number.

This offer applies to select sizes of Warriors of the High Country, Ever Watchful, and Soldier of His People. These signed prints are archival-quality giclee on canvas, numbered in a limited edition of only 95 and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

Warriors of the High Country 30″ x 45″

Ute warriors challenge nature by traveling in the Colorado high country in the dead of winter

Click on the image for a larger view

Order now to save $70! Price will increase to $730 (unstretched) / $820 (stretched)
Shipping included.

Ever Watchful 20″ x 16″

Crow warrior of high standing as a civil leader and guard of his people

Click on the image for a larger view

Order now to save! Price will increase to
$195 (unstretched) / $230 (stretched)

Shipping included.

Soldier of His People 13″ x 16″

Mandan “Black Mouth” Warrior; such a man would keep law and order among the people, functioning as protector and policeman during important tribal events, change of village sites, and buffalo hunts

Click on the image for a larger view

Order now to save! Price will increase to
$150 (unstretched) / $185 (stretched)

Shipping included.

Would you like to learn about other specials on my fine art giclees? Please join my mailing list

Stay in touch with all the latest studio happenings: James Ayers mailing list. Please rest assured that I never sell or share your personal information.

COLLECTOR UPDATE: Daytime Gaze has been sold.

Daytime Gaze in its new home

Daytime Gaze, a slice-of-life picture from the life of a young woman

Background on Daytime Gaze

This year for the Celebration of Fine Art show, I created a set of paintings that the intention of showing candid views of historic Native American life.

In Daytime Gaze, I portray a young Nez Perce woman looking across the windswept plains. She wears ceremonial dress embellished with wavy quillwork bands and beaded fringe. On her belt she has an intricate beaded pouch and knife sheath.

About the Nez Perce

The traditional Nez Perce homeland is located in the Plateau Culture area in what is now northern Idaho, eastern Oregon,and southeastern Washington.

Nez Perce is derived from the French name giving to the tribe by fur traders in the region and means “pierced noses.” The tribal name for the Nez Perce is Nimiipu and means “the people”.

Traditionally, the Nez Perce were nomadic, seasonally moving their villages. Summer homes were quickly assembled lean-to structures; winter weathers were multi-family earth-covered pithouses.

In the early 18th-century, the Nez Perce acquired the horse through trade. They quickly became skilled with the animals and gained a reputation as brilliant horse breeders and trainers. After obtaining the horse, the culture ranged farther in search of food and abandoned their traditional lean-to structure in favor of tipis like the Great Plains groups.

Would you like to see more of my paintings?

Please check out my Facebook page for all my newest work.

To celebrate my return to the Celebration of Fine Art show after nine years, I’ve brought a collection of dynamic new paintings

Over the past year, I have been expanding the ways my collectors can connect with me, including Facebook, Twitter, and live art shows.

I love hearing feedback from my fans. One interesting trend I’ve noticed is how warmly people react to paintings that have movement in them.

So, for my initial paintings for the Celebration of Fine Art Show in Scottsdale, I explored powerful dynamic themes.

All four pieces in the collection are active portraits, created to give you a glimpse as if you are seeing a slice of the subject’s life at that very moment.

A young woman looks out across the prairie in Daytime Gaze

Daytime Gaze
Nez Perce
40″ x 30″
Oil on canvas
$11,500

Blackfoot man drums for his people in Sacred Rhythm

Sacred Rhythm
Blackfoot
48″ x 36″
Oil
$15,000

Blackfoot man astride a horse resplendent in ceremonial dress in Knight of the Great Plains

Knight of the Great Plains

Blackfoot
36″ x 48″
Oil on canvas
$15,000

My first romantic-themed portrait: Two Souls, One Spirit

Two Souls, One Spirit
Lakota
36″ x 36″
Oil on canvas
SOLD

You can also shop my line of fine art giclee prints at the show

In addition to my originals, I’ll have many of my most popular prints available for purchase.

Please stop by the show and say hello!

For more show information, please see my Shows and Events page.

UPDATE: Two Souls, One Spirit has been sold.

My newest painting, Two Souls, One Spirit is ready for the Celebration of Fine Art Show

Two Souls, One Spirit, oil on canvas, 36″ x 36″, $12,000

Romantic new subject matter

I received wonderful feedback recently on my Facebook page from a fan who liked my slice-of-life portrayals–preferring them to more traditional portraiture poses.

Fueled by this input, I have made sure that my entire collection of new paintings for the 2012 Celebration of Fine Art Show reflects a candid moment in the life of the people I paint.

Two Souls, One Spirit is particularly unusual because I have not painted a romantic setting before. In this painting, it was essential to me that the quiet exchange between this man and woman be portrayed in a tasteful, gentle way.

How the composition creates drama

Notice how the dark-against-light colors causes an angle to form across the faces of the man and the woman and highlights their contented expressions.

I use curved angles throughout the piece to create a softness appropriate to the scene. There are soft, angled curves in the crook of the man’s arm and in the drape of the buffalo robe. These shapes both draw your eye to the faces of the couple and give the painting a tranquil feel.

The background, too, adds to the serene air with the muted shades of grey…but notice the splashes of red tones to add a touch of passion to the composition to emphasize the bonding these two people share.

In this painting, the man wraps a buffalo robe around his lover. I chose to depict his devotion to her with the robe because such garments represented warmth, security, and comfort to the Lakota people (who relied heavily on the buffalo for sustenance). Wrapping her thus adds another layer of meaning to this brief intimate exchange.

Historic details

Both the man and the woman are dressed in c. mid- to late-1800s ceremonial garments, resplendent with intricate beading. The woman holds a feather fan – used for purifying smoke “smudging” ceremonies – made of red-tail hawk feathers. She also has a beaded knife sheath. (Notice how the fan and the sheath form zig-zag angles to pull your eye through the painting.)

The man’s shirt came directly from a museum catalog in my research library. The garment is decorated with locks of hair. These hairlocks were not taken from foes in battle, but instead would be gathered from family members as a reminder of the people a warrior protects.

His hair is adorned with feathers: the red ones are dyed eagle feathers and the black ones are crow.

Interested in learning more about Two Souls, One Spirit?

Please contact me directly: James Ayers Studios.

To see my other new paintings, please visit my Available Paintings page.

I am honored by the “Featured Artist” designation

When the Thunderbird Artists informed me that I was the Featured Artist for the 18th Annual Carefree Fine Art and Wine Festival, I was delighted.

I always appreciate kind thoughts about my paintings–and to have show organizers choose my work as exemplary is always a thrill. I’d like to thank the folks at the Thunderbird Artists for this honor.

Come join me for an exciting show

If you haven’t been to the Carefree Fine Art and Wine Festival, you are in for a real treat. The show is located in the heart of downtown Carefree, Arizona. The town closes the streets to through traffic to make room for the 160 artist booths featuring all sizes, prices, and media.

You are sure to find a new treasure to love. Artists in the show bring paintings, sculptures, pottery, photography, hand-crafted jewelry, batiks and fine craft. Subject matter ranges from Southwest and traditional to contemporary and abstract, including floral, wildlife, European, African and Native American art.

The festival holds the title of Arizona’s largest wine-tasting event, featuring first-class wines from Arizona, California, Australia, Germany, Austria, France and Italy. Area restaurants offer tasty treats to round out the experience.

Show details

The show runs January 13, 14, and 15 from 10am to 5pm each day.

Admission is free for Carefree residents, $3.00 otherwise. Parking is free all weekend.

To get to the show, head to downtown Carefree, where Ho Hum & Easy street meet.

View Larger Map

For more info on the 18th Annual Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival

Please contact me directly: James Ayers Studios.

To read the show press release, please click here: Thunderbird Artist press release