Helen Hardin Original Painting titled “Santo Domingo Meal”

"Santo Domingo Meal" is an original acrylic painting by Helen Hardin of Santa Clara Pueblo. For this piece, Hardin focused on a pair of birds. They stand on a horizontal band, from which three plants grow. The larger of the two birds holds in its beak a tiny seed while the smaller one looks up in anticipation. Split leaf and curved diamond elements appear within the horizontal band, possibly referencing pottery designs.

Hardin's atypical palette of earthy tan and gray colors is augmented with brighter red, orange, and turquoise tones. The brighter tones were used sparingly and effectively, bringing energy and life to the plants and birds. While the figures are the focal point, the background is equally worthy of praise—Hardin created layers upon layers of earth-toned paints using a variety of applications and then finished with a subtle coat of atomized turquoise, resulting in a gorgeous stonelike texture. Hardin's animal figure paintings are always excellent, but "Santo Domingo Meal" is a standout piece.

The painting is signed Tsa-Sah-Wee-Eh in lower right. It is framed in a two-tiered wood frame with a fabric matte.

Helen Hardin (1943-1984) Tsa-Sah-Wee-Eh or "Little Standing Spruce" was an innovative and influential painter from Santa Clara Pueblo. Hardin was born in 1943 to Santa Clara Pueblo painter Pablita Velarde and Caucasian civil servant Herbert Hardin. Inspired by her mother, she began creating and selling paintings as a teenager. She went in a different direction than her mother and her mother's peers, creating more contemporary works that depict Native American symbology with striking geometrical patterns and abstract imagery. She died of cancer in 1984, leaving behind an astounding body of work for her many admirers to enjoy.

Condition: this Helen Hardin Original Painting titled "Santo Domingo Meal" is in excellent condition

Provenance: originally purchased in 1977 by an Albuquerque resident, and then sold through Adobe Gallery in 2012 to another New Mexico collector who is now downsizing

Recommended Reading: Changing Woman: The Life and Art of Helen Hardin by Jay Scott

TAGS: Santa Clara Pueblo, Pablita Velarde, Native American Prints, Native American Paintings, Helen Hardin, Santa Clara Pueblo Painter, Southwest Indian Pottery