Unquestionably the outstanding Tesuque Pueblo painter and one of the most outstanding of all the pueblo artists was Patrick Swazo Hinds (1929-1974). Adopted at the age of 9 by a California family, Swazo grew up off the reservation but returned every summer to Tesuque Pueblo. It is this exposure to a different way of life that is probably responsible for his style of art and that, in turn, is responsible for his wide appeal and his great success as an artist.

Swazo Hinds did not paint in the two-dimensional style of The Studio of the Santa Fe Indian School nor did he follow in the abstract style of Fritz Scholder and others of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), rather he had his own style“a mixture of realism and modernism.

This painting appears to be of panicked wild horses as if one were witnessing a Mustang stampede so often occurring out on the open range where they are still wild. The artist’s rendering of the painting is truly exceptional.

The painting, according to Mark Swazo Hinds, son of the artist, was most likely completed in the 1970 to 1974 period. Mark acquired the painting in Ruidoso, New Mexico, and brought it to us. It is in original excellent condition. We have just had it framed in a modern style handmade wood frame.

Recommended Reading: ART AND INDIAN INDIVIDUALISTS: the Art of Seventeen Contemporary Southwestern Artists and Craftsmen (click here to view details of book) by Doris Monthan, et al. (Available from Adobe Gallery)