Albert Handell was born 85 years ago in Brooklyn, New York. His first memory of creating art was using chalk to draw on the sidewalks. It ingrained in him a love for painting and drawing what was close up.

On Friday, April 21, Mom was the first one at the Gallery. She usually has been for the past 40 years. She would unlock the building, get the lights on, fire up the computer, and get the Gallery ready for business.

Dean Haungooah has a unique Native background. His father, Art Cody (Haungooah), was a Kiowa/ Comanche who moved to New Mexico and married Martha Suazo, a Santa Clara potter.

Donald Vann is a full-blood Cherokee born near Stillwater, Oklahoma, in 1949. He is a quiet man who grew up feeling very comfortable being alone. His grandparents were instrumental in teaching him the ways of the tribe and instilling in him an appreciation for the stories of his ancestors.

I tend to work into the late hours many nights. Days at the gallery are pretty busy. Phones are ringing, emails are flying, we get to meet great customers, and it is always special when one of the many artists we work with comes in. It's busy, and it's fun. But some things demand quiet, which happens for me in the evenings. And sometimes, it's just a time for reflection and spending time here.

Probably the most famous student of Dorothy Dunn, founder of the Studio School, which began the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, Harrison Begay (Haashké yah Níyá or "Wandering Boy") was born on the Navajo Reservation in 1917 at Whitecone, Arizona.

If you ask anyone who knows Manuel (M.S.) Franco, they will tell you he is one of the nicest and most generous people they have ever known. Years ago, when we had a fine art publishing company, we carried his prints, and he was one of the best-selling artists we represented.

Yes, there is a day to recognize and celebrate Native American Heritage. It is the day after Thanksgiving. The month of November is Native American Heritage Month.

The San Juan Mountains are holding their first big winter snow where we live. For people who love the winter landscape and relish the chill of the air as the season arrives, it is a special time of year.

No one loves playing in the snow more than children (and the young at heart!)

Last year I had the opportunity to meet an extraordinary woman whose father had a unique manner of collecting Native American art. He lived in Albuquerque and never missed the Navajo Nation Fair, the New Mexico State Fair, the Arizona State Fair, or the Gallup Ceremonial.

Back in the late 1950s, Navajo artists began to make small sand paintings featuring figures and designs that were part of the traditional Navajo healing sand paintings.

One of my favorite subjects is the evolution of the Santa Fe Indian School and the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe. It is always interesting to see how different Native artists were associated with the school.