Milland Lomakema “Spirits Above Us” Painting [SOLD]

"Spirits Above Us"  is a striking and complex piece by Hopi artist Milland Lomakema (1941-2021), who also painted under his Hopi name, Dawakema (Sun Journey). You can see his signature, Dawakema, accompanied by his hand-drawn clan mark, in the lower right corner of the image.

Lomakema was a prominent member of the Artist Hopid, a groundbreaking collective of five Hopi artists formed in the early 1970s. Their mission was to break away from standard, commercialized Native American painting styles and instead use modern artistic movements — like surrealism and abstraction — to express authentic Hopi philosophy, ceremony, and history. "Spirits Above Us" perfectly exemplifies that philosophy.

The Celestial and Spiritual Realm

The background is a deep, atmospheric blue fading into violet, dotted with stars and a crescent moon, establishing a nighttime setting.

The Three Large Figures: Suspended in the sky are three stylized, monumental figures representing spiritual beings or Katsinam (Kachinas) in their ethereal, non-physical forms. Rather than being depicted as physical dancers, they are rendered with abstract, geometric bodies that blend into the cosmos.

The Central Spirit: The prominent central figure features arms outstretched in a gesture of blessing or protection. Its body contains a step-fret cloud/rain design, and fluid white lines cascade from its side like falling rain or a waterfall — a vital symbol of life and fertility in the arid Southwest.

The Attendant Figures: The figure on the left sits atop a stylized, undulating serpent-like element (which can symbolize lightning or the water serpent, Palölökong), while a smaller, dynamic figure on the right seems to plummet or fly downward, perhaps acting as a messenger.

The Earthly Plane and Human Activity

In the center foreground, rendered in a warm, earthy orange-terracotta tone, are smaller, minimalist stick-figure representations of humans. The central human figure is actively gesturing upwards toward the spirits, possibly a representation of prayer, dance, or a ritual caller communicating with the sky deities.Surrounding these figures are faint, ethereal green stalks that resemble corn plants or sacred vegetation reaching upward, reinforcing the connection between spiritual favor (rain) and earthly survival (crops).

Geometric Horizons and Mirroring

The bottom third of the painting utilizes a fascinating structural device:

The Mountain/Cloud Line: A bold, multi-layered geometric border mimics the stepped, terraced patterns commonly found in Hopi pottery, textiles, and basketry. These stepped shapes represent both the physical mesas of the Southwest and stylized rain clouds (Spirits Above Us).

The Reflection: Below the primary horizon line, the pattern is mirrored upside-down against a soft violet gradient. This mirroring effect often symbolizes the dual nature of existence in Hopi cosmology — the physical world we inhabit and the spirit world, which exists in tandem or as an inversion of our own.

Artistic Style and Execution

Lomakema's technique relies heavily on fine line work, stippling, and dry-brush textures to give the canvas a tactile, rock-art-like quality, reminiscent of ancient petroglyphs and kiva murals. By blending these ancient iconographies with mid-century modern abstraction, he successfully bridges the gap between timeless Hopi mysticism and contemporary fine art.

Condition: this Milland Lomakema "Spirits Above Us" Painting is in very good condition

Provenance: Acquired from a client in California in 2014, sold to a client in Texas in 2014, from whom we have it back to offer again.

Recommended Reading: Hopi Painting: the World of the Hopis by Patricia Janis Broder.

TAGS: Hopi Pueblo, Michael Kabotie, Terrance Talaswaima, Neil David, Sr., Native American Painting, Milland Lomakema (1941-2021) Dawakema