Project Tag: native american

Native Arts

Watercolor painting of Native American blankets and basket by Janet Tarjan Erl.

Native Arts

Medium: Watercolor, Image Size: 23 1/2″h x 15 1/2″w, 2002.

I set up this still life of authentic Native American crafts that were in the collection of my sister and brother-in-law. I loved the shapes, colors, textures, and designs of the different objects, and it took many watercolor washes to paint all the various colors and textures and to do it as a purely transparent watercolor. I had to use many small brushes to get the details just right.

Many native American cultures produce exquisite art through their practical utilities such as blankets, pottery, baskets, and clothing, and this painting honors a few of those artistic creations.

Original is sold.

Note: Image Watermark of Copyright and/or Website are NOT on the Original.

Scouting the Winter Camp

Watercolor painting Native Americans on horses by Janet Tarjan Erl.

Scouting the Winter Camp

Medium: Oil, Image Size: 20″h x 24″w, 1994.

I have done very few paintings of historic interpretations of Native Americans. This artwork is one of the few I have done. It portrays a group of hunters scouting a winter hunting ground. This was the second oil painting I had done after many years of not painting in oils, so I did it in an experimental style – something quite different than my watercolors. The dress and styling of the subjects was from my imagination.

Original is sold.

Note: Image Watermark of Copyright and/or Website are NOT on the Original.

Casual Talk

Oil painting of Native Americans on horseback by Janet Tarjan Erl.

Casual Talk

Medium: Oil, Image Size:?, 1993.

This was my first oil painting I had done since I was in high school. It was an experimental endeavor, but I enjoyed doing it. The subject is a creation from my imagination of two Native Americans chatting casually to each other as they ride along.

Original is sold.

Note: Image Watermark of Copyright and/or Website are NOT on the Original.

The Tracker

Oil painting of Native American with a Paint horse by Janet Tarjan Erl.

The Tracker

Medium: Oil, Image Size: 35″h x 46.5″w, 1995.

This artwork is one of the few paintings of historic interpretations of Native Americans that I have done. It portrays a historic Native American looking for sign of game. This oil painting was painted much looser than my watercolor style. This scene was from Black Mountain looking east toward Ball Mt. in north Siskiyou County, California.

At the time I did this painting I didn’t often paint in oils; but, on this occasion I wanted to do a large oil painting, and that is how this piece came about. I wanted to work loosely with big brushes and bold strokes, and the landscape, horse, and clouds were ideal subjects for that.

The Native American depicted represents an Apsaroke. I chose that tribe because their environment appears much like Siskiyou County, and I can relate better to what types of places they saw and lived in. The horse is a typical paint horse that I’m sure would have been the prize of most Native Americans. I wanted to show a proud horse that contrasted uniquely against the stormy clouds. The horse, the person, the clouds, and landscape combined well together.

Original is sold.

Note: Image Watermark of Copyright and/or Website are NOT on the Original.