Mateo Romero Untitled Painting of a Group of Pueblo Women [SOLD]

This original painting was created by Cochiti Pueblo artist Mateo Romero. It was originally purchased in 2016, directly from the artist, at the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market. It was completed using printed photographs and oil paints on canvas, which is gallery-wrapped around a wood frame. Only a few of Romero's paintings have made their way to Adobe Gallery over the years, but we hope to see more in the future, as each one has been excellent.

With this piece, Romero depicted a line of eleven Native women. They appear to be wearing traditional Pueblo dresses and moccasins. The line crosses the image from right to left, with the figures standing in the foreground on the right and fading off into the distance on the left. It appears Romero created this image by painting over and around printed photographic images. The women are printed, and the environment in which they exist was painted.

The color palette Romero chose for this painting is distinctive and wonderful. Soft yellow and orange tones with a dash of green form the sky up above the women, while icy gray and earthy tan tones form the earth down below. The women's shadows are purple, and their shawls appear in a variety of tones that match or complement those of their surroundings. Small spots in purple, pink, white, and orange cover most of the image, suggesting snowfall and adding an additional level of depth to the image. With its gorgeous colors, appealing composition, and wealth of compelling textures, this painting will delight anyone who chooses to explore it.

The painting is signed in upper right in blue. A picture of the artist holding the painting is included (see below).

Contemporary Pueblo painter Mateo Romero was born and raised in Berkeley, California. Although his cultural background is an urban one, through his father Santiago Romero and his connection to the Southern Keresan Cochiti people, this experience includes much of the Rio Grande Pueblo world as well. Mateo attended Dartmouth College and studied with acclaimed artists Ben Frank Moss and Varujan Boghosian.  He received an MFA in printmaking from the University of New Mexico. Mateo is an award-winning artist who has exhibited internationally in Canada and in the United States. He is currently a Dubin Fellow in painting at the School of American Research in Santa Fe, NM, and paints in his studio in Santa Fe and lives in Pojoaque Pueblo with his wife, Melissa, and their children Erik, Povi, and Rain. Biography courtesy of the artist

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Mateo Romero Untitled Painting of a Group of Pueblo Women is from a private collection, originally purchased from the artist at the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market in 2016

Recommended Reading: Santa Fe Art by Simone Ellis (1993)

TAGS: Cochiti Pueblo, Teresita Romero, Diego Romero, Mateo Romero