"Primitive...Or Not?..."

...That is the Question!

Early man used natural items such as stone, charcoal, animal fat, minerals, shells, clay, reeds, and sand to create masterful works of "primitive" art. Evidence of these breathtaking pieces of early art decorate caves, cliff walls, and canyons throughout the world.

To honor this natural art style I celebrate the sand painting style of the Navajo tribal peoples of the desert southwest.

The Navajo word for sand painting means "a place where the gods come and go". Thus, sand paintings had great power and were often used for healing, teaching the traditional ways, and in tribal ceremonies. Sand paintings produced by the Navajo people are traditionally the most beautiful, elaborate, and complex.

The pigments used in a sand painting are obtained by collecting colored sandstone which is ground into a fine powder resulting in colors of rich reds, browns, and ochre yellow. Crushed charcoal is added to produce black. Cornmeal, pollen from plants, and pulverized flower petals add additional color to the palette. These are then sprinked by hand into traditional compositions.

The four plants, sacred to the Navajo and often used in sand paintings, are corn, beans, tobacco, and squash. Artistically interpreted, each of the plants is incoporated into this piece.

My drawing was also styled as a mandala which in certain Buddhist spiritual practices is thought of as a sacred space, a place for meditation, and is often represented in sand paintings.

"Primitive": A (Past) Illustration Friday Topic :)