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PAINTING to Pave the Way
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John Fire Lame Deer, 24x36
This is a portrait of Lakota holy man John Fire Lame Deer. Lame Deer came into the world at a time when Natives had already been sequestered from their land, and assimilation was in full effect. Born in 1903 on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, Lame Deer was eventually sent to boarding school to learn to live and act like a settler. Lame Deer never lost sight of his Sioux heritage, however, he took a keen interest in cowboy culture, and then some. As a young man, he traveled the circuit as a rider and rodeo clown. He was a self-admitted gambler, drinker, petty-thief, womanizer, and peyote advocate. Lame Deer eventually settled down and became a medicine man (aka “Holy Man”). Lame Deer was also a visionary and toured the country. His fame especially rose amongst Lakota and the American public alike during the 1960s. At this time Indigenous customs were given a sort of rebirth, combining Native spirituality with psychedelic drug culture. Lame Deer also participated in sit-ins protesting the excavation of the sacred Black Hills. A book was written about his life in 1972 by Richard Erdoes titled “Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions.”
Aaron Hazel
BY ARIANNA CRETEAU
On Instagram, Boise artist @ ahaze2, better known as Aaron Hazel, has created a space for art and history lovers to unite. He does this by sharing his own artwork alongside detailed captions that shed a light on minorities and their stories, specifically Native Americans.
Before Hazel was recognized for his Native portraits, he lived in Seattle for 11 years, gaining exposure and success by creating commissioned art for professional athletes and locals. Today, his portfolio is stacked with oil paintings focused on urban life, landscapes, wildlife, sports, and people. Now, he is back in Idaho and based in Boise.
“I love. I love seeing a painting of a huge cloud or something awesome, you know?” says Hazel. “Although I usually gravitate towards the less realistic and more impressionistic and abstract art.”
COURTESY AARON HAZEL
Hazel attended Whitman College where he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree as a studio arts major between games for the school’s basketball team. Later, he went on to learn from his mentor, Robert Moore, a renowned impressionist from Burley, Idaho. Hazel attributes much of his skill and current interests to the time he had studying with Moore.
Audiences have described Hazel’s works as something they’ve never quite seen before. On canvas, the oil paintings are vibrant and portray emotion in a way that entices a viewer to hesitate and look just a little bit longer. It’s as if his paintings have something to say that you can’t quite hear unless you lean in. The faces speak in deep colors and the landscapes seem to silently call your name.
Plain Owl was a Crow Chief from 1910. The Crow are one of the largest federally recognized tribes in Montana. Having 3 galleries in that state I wanted to get a better understanding of Native life there. The Crow have a very unique style and history. I have enjoyed researching and depicting Crow subjects over the years and will continue to do so.
Plain Owl, 36x48
“In the very beginning, I was doing whatever anybody would pay me to do,” says Hazel. “I became known as the sports painter.” No longer confined to those restrictions, Hazel’s focus changed around 2016. Today, his paintings predominantly West. According to Hazel, a big reason for the gradual shift in his work is in part, thanks to Moore, who opened up a space for Hazel to enter the Western gallery world.
“I’ve always been really curious about what I did not learn in high school, middle school, and grade school about Native Americans and just minorities in general of the Old West. I use art as a chance to really focus on understanding and unearthing the stories of the underrepresented,” says Hazel.
I was particularly struck by this photo from friend Ivan McClellan of cowboy Johnny Yates Jr. His posture is stoic, calm, and confident; emblematic of cowboys both new and old. The upright side profile harkens back to classical forms of portraiture, yet Johnny is undeniably contemporary. In this painting, I imagine Johnny patiently waiting in the backroom at the rodeo competition minutes before he mounts a wild bull. In a figurative sense, he represents African American cowboys everywhere, who have been patiently waiting for recognition of their existence.
Johnny, 24x36
The U.S government officially recognizes 574 Native tribes in the contiguous 48 states and Alaska. There are five federally recognized tribes in the state of Idaho: the Shoshone-Bannock, the Shoshone-Paiute, the Coeur d’Alene, the Kootenai, and the Nez Perce. Tribes differ in language, culture, and location.
Today, a majority of tribe members reside on various reservations throughout the state, including the Coeur d’Alene Reservation, Duck Valley Reservation, Fort Hall Reservation, Kootenai Reservation, and the Nez Perce Reservation. Starting in the early 1800s, executive orders and treaties created land reservations.
Leanne Campbell, an artist who works in cultural tourism and is a member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, says that it’s important to not only portray historical Native figures in art but also modern ones. “A lot of the time, we are presented as people from the past, but we are an active, living and breathing culture of people. It is important to have representation,” says Campbell.
This is a portrait of Arapaho Chief Yellow Calf from 1927. The Ethete, Wyoming native was considered the last formal Chief of his tribe before they were eventually modified to a council-based form of government. Yellow Calf took a keen interest in the youth of his people, at a time when they were adopting a more Euro-centric way of life. He was also an advocate of the Crow Dance Ceremony. This was similar to the Ghost Dance Movement adopted by Sitting Bull in that it was a supernatural ritual thought to interact with old spirits and inspire a sense of enlightenment, honor, and self-worth. The authors of “Arapahoe Politics 1861-1978” explain the Crow Dance as “an effort to restore a sense of prestige and belonging to tribal youth, unmoored by reservation life.” Yellow Calf worked tirelessly with the youth until his death in 1938.
Yellow Calf, 60x60
She also pointed to the importance of Native American artists having the opportunity to participate in spaces where Western art is displayed and sold.
Hazel had been painting people and civil rights activists for quite some time, but Western art, specifically Native American portraits, gave him a new space in which to explore and grow. “I am a proponent of civil and human rights throughout history, but I use my platform and artistic ability to try and teach or highlight these people’s stories,” says Hazel.
Daring to challenge the norms of the Western art world, Hazel puts in the work beyond painting by conducting extensive research ahead of time about the people he paints. However, that wasn’t always the case. Starting out, Hazel wasn’t conscious about how he treated Native American subjects and was “just painting cool images,” not knowing the background and history of the people he chose from old photos.
The painting entitled “Prodigy” is a lighter piece. The subject serves as a depiction of a budding child rodeo star, full of innocence, fervor, and ambition to live out his dreams. It also shines a light on the lesser-known urban cowboy programs throughout the US that cultivate the kids’ love for rodeo and cowboy life.
Prodigy, 30x40
There are plenty of entertaining and individualistic pop art pieces in Hazel’s portfolio, but he’s now determined to better understand the subjects he chooses and includes a brief summary about the subject of each of his paintings. And, if he can’t find the names or understand the people he is researching, he’ll end the process all together. “The sad part is that it speaks to the lack of documentation. If I don’t find a name, tribe, or year then I shy away from it,” says Hazel. He avoids titling portraits as “unknowns,” saying that when he did that before he was being lazy.
“I didn’t want to be just another Western artist,” says Hazel. “I’m trying to bridge a gap and have people enjoy my paintings but also feel educated.” Going beyond a Google search, he’ll connect with Native American painters to verify his information and the approach he takes to his work as a non-Native. Within the Western gallery space, Hazel says that people still aren’t having conversations about representation and cultural appropriation.
“It seems like so many Western artists are appropriative white males who paint something for design’s sake and because it’s aesthetically pleasing. They don’t do much work finding out about what they’re painting,” says Hazel. Using his brush as a tool of inspiration, Hazel paints to compel viewers to learn more about First People’s history.
Check out his work at aaronhazel.com.
