This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  JD Challenger is a painter and sculptor of Native Americans. He
was born in Oklahoma with a desire to paint that appeared at a young
age. He learned color, shading, light and shadow from closely
observing nature and drawing what he saw. Always fascinated by the
culture and customs of the Native Americans, near to whom he lived and
soon considered his closest friends, the young Challenger absorbed
their stories and traditions. He sketched his observations of
their lives.
At the beginning of his career, he lived in Taos, New Mexico where
he did landscape painting and learned much about Native Americans by
observing first hand Indians of the Taos Pueblo. At first, he was
reluctant to show his oil and acrylic paintings of them in public for
fear of
offending a people he greatly admired. Upon witnessing a Ghost
Dance ceremony, Challenger discovered his mission and what he wanted to
paint. He later said: "As I stood there watching the chanting and
the dancing, I knew what I wanted to paint . . . nothing had ever been
clearer." (jdchallenger.com)
With encouragement from friends, he showed his work to
some Native Americans, one who was a holy man. Challenger was
told, "Your path is to tell our story and educate others."
JD
Challenger depicts the story of a people rich in heritage and
tradition. These stories are sometimes poignant, often angry, but
always powerful and demanding to be told. Whether it be in the stoic,
distant gaze of a young warrior in Whirlwind Horse or the regal stare of Wildcat, The Renegade Act II, the subjects of JD Challengers portraits are intended to look straight into the soul.
Sources include:
World Wide Art
www.jdchallenger.com
|
| ** If you discover credit omissions or have additional information to add, please let us know at registrar@AskART.com. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|