Acts of kindness are usually done without any thought of personal gain or any idea of what they could lead to. Sometimes they are simple, solitary gifts; sometimes they can change a life.

When the Winter Olympics came to Salt Lake City in 2002, one of the most popular attractions for people from all over the world was the exhibit on Native American cultures and lifestyles. The organizers of the Olympics made a special effort to highlight the tribes of Utah and the Southwest. 

Leland Holiday was born into one of the most famous families in Navajo basket making but it was never something he was interested in learning. 

“I didn’t want to make baskets,” he says. “But I always knew I wanted to be an artist.”

An Artist’s inspiration can come from anywhere, it’s a matter of looking at the world and letting your imagination go. One Saturday, while working on some canvases as his two young boys watched television, Leland Holiday glanced at the screen and saw Bugs Bunny with a blanket wrapped around him.

Most Native American painters today are easy to track down and find information about. They tend not to be shy about recognition or fame. Early on, that was not always true.

J.D. Roybal (1922-1978) was an artist with a great deal of talent and a sense of humor. His favorite subject was what the Tewa Pueblo people call the Kossa Clown, figures that are considered something like Court Jesters in the Kiva religion.

Some artists can capture a person as well as a photograph does, but because of the artist’s control of the surroundings and light, the painting better controls our focus and captures the imagination.

In 1973, a group of Hopi artists who were part of the Hopi Arts and Crafts Cooperative Guild, formed a separate group called Artist Hopid.

Richard Martinez was one of the earliest painters from San Ildefonso Pueblo. He was born in 1904 and was painting by 1920. Today, most people think of San Ildefonso for the pottery that is created there, but the pueblo has produced many talented easel artists.

ot a lot is known about Percy Sandy. This watercolor artist from Zuni Pueblo was on the way to a great career when, in 1959, he was in an automobile accident. While he continued to work, he was not as prolific as he had been prior to the accident.

I really enjoy telling stories that are uplifting and make you feel good. And most tales of artistic success are filled with good examples of people who worked hard and really wanted to succeed.

The art of Navajo Sand Painting has come a long way. There was a time in the 1960s and 1970s when the tourist market and the widespread interest in Indian arts and crafts was huge.