Pablita Velarde Petroglyph Style Painting of Pueblo Animal Dancers [SOLD]

This unusual Pablita Velarde painting captures a traditional New Mexico animal dance, but with a unique, evocative twist. Instead of a village plaza, Velarde presents four male dancers-a buffalo, deer, antelope, and eagle-as if they are petroglyphs hovering over the Sandia Mountains.

The dancers are rendered in striking white pigment against a solid black background, creating a powerful contrast that mimics ancient rock art. The scene is set against the famous "watermelon" hues of the Sandias at sunset, with golden aspens visible in the foreground. The painting is framed in a handmade wooden frame, a signature of Velarde's work, but with the rare addition of a golden pigment mixed with sand, which complements the warm tones of the aspens and the mountains.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Pablita Velarde Petroglyph Style Painting of Pueblo Animal Dancers is from the collection of a client from Tennessee

Recommended Reading: "Woman's Work": The Art of Pablita Velarde by Sally Hyer, The Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian

TAGS: Native American Paintings, Santa Clara Pueblo, Tonita Peña, watercolor, Helen Hardin, Navajo Nation, Pablita Velarde