Dinehtah, The Land of the People Print

I painted this work from an old photograph I found at a yard sale in Phoenix, Arizona. There was no name or date on the photo. It appeared to be old, the images were faded and the paper was brittle. I put it back on the table where I found it and looked around at the other items that the seller had for sale. I was intrigued by the photo and went back to it several times. On the same table were old postcards of the Phoenix area and other old photos. I decided to buy the photo and also an old 1909 postcard of native Hopi women sitting in a doorway weaving a basket. I thought at the time both would make a good reference for paintings. Later that year my wife and I drove up to Kanab Utah. On our way, we drove through the Navajo reservation. We stopped at an old trading post to look at the native wares they had for sale. While driving into the trading post I had a feeling that I had been there before. Looking across the desert at a distant Mesa I realized we were in the same area where the photo must have been taken. Talking to elderly Navajo women outside the building I asked her what this place was called. She said, "Dinehtah". The land of the people, The Navajo. That trip and the photo were the inspiration for this painting. This painting was made with only a few primary colors, the simple colors of the desert and the Dine, the people. I used yellow, white, brown, red, and green on a prepared canvas. I took liberties making this painting, I created a monsoon storm with lighting pounding the mesa on one side of the valley, while the other side of the valley is in bright sunlight. I wanted to post the old reference photo, but unfortunately, I can not find it. Thanks for reading this, I hope you enjoy this painting and prints.