Spirits watch over us!

I have a friend that I met through Photoshop, who takes wonderful photos of hoot owls, eagles, yellowhammers. Significant birds of our people. Sacred birds, and I feel very fortunate to have made Connie and her husband's acquaintance. I now have an unlimited source of photos I can use to paint with.

These past few days have been very trying here, with tornado warnings. The local TV stations here are very good with keeping you abreast to all the warnings. They have storm chasers out looking for funnels that drop out of the clouds, relaying the info back to the station, and airing it for everyone to see. They do a great job in keeping everyone informed.

Connie had submitted a picture of a hoot owls face, I took that picture and I did a hurry up job of it, with a tornado that happened in Enid, Okla. I have no shortness of inspiration living here. Living here, keeps you very mindful of the creator's power, and his grace. We pray a lot for our home, and for those that maybe in the line of fire with a tornado.

This is the end result of what I did. Enjoy..

3d digital art work, is fasinating..

Click here to see!

Art Gallery is a success!

It's funny cause your thinking, that so and so said they will come to the show, but for some reason they don't make it. On the flip side of that coin, you see people you had no idea would come. Then people purchase prints, who you never even met before. The place was packed! More people than I expected. A lot of the people were my relatives, but mostly friends.

The reception offered a nice atmosphere with refreshments.

When it was all said and done, I was approached by the board about putting on a class for digital art. I didn't see that one coming! I will have to see how that all goes, after the gallery finishes next month!

It was a success! My wife and I both feel completely exhausted now.. Time for a break!

Check my website out.. I just added my latest renderings!

When everything was perfect, the ancestors gathered for a Native American Church meeting. One time the Buffalo would run it, next time it would be the bear, or the eagle, the clan leaders would take turns leading the service. The bear, and buffalo would go by the season. Spring and summer the buffalo is in charge. In the fall and winter, the bear would lead since it was their time to be in charge. The other clans would get permission to run things. There is an order to how things are conducted among the Otoe Missouria. At one time there were either 11 or 12 clans of the Otoe, but only 7 today.

Regardless of what happens tomorrow

I will be thankful regardless of how tomorrow goes. I can still say Mom, and she is here with me for my first gallery. Both my younger brothers will be there with their children. However my baby sister won't be able to make it, since she had to work this weekend. I know her heart will be with all of us. I know how her heart is. 2 of my 3 sons will be here. My oldest son lives in Idaho, he won't be here. He is busy taking care of my grand daughter. My daughter in Germany won't be here either. Hopefully she will be getting her final results for her thesis she recently submitted.

I still have a few elders living, and hopefully one or two will be able to attend. I have a Uncle that is in a wheelchair, he wants to come see my work. I really feel honored that my Uncle wants to come. I will check on a ramp for him to roll up and down on.

If anyone else comes it will only add frosting to the cake, and for that I will be thankful.

I will be starting a painting of my Aunt. She passed a few years ago, and since that time the Barona reservation in Southern Calif. has named a library after her. The family asked me if I would do a portrait of her. I said I will do my best.
I got a few photos today from my Mom, my cousins sent with her when she was out in Calif. recently.

So for tomorrow however it goes, I will be thankful for everything I have today.

Ponca City art center makes art gallery announcement

See here!

I have been waiting for this now for some time, and it is finally announced. I think I have everything ready to go. I will gather up my inventory for the art center to use. Otherwise I think I am ready. I will be showing 14 paintings. I am still working on my self portrait, and won't have it done by next week.

I plan to move everything in the art center this week, and hope to have everything in place for the opening next Sunday.

Please come join me and my family for this occasion.

Giving credit where credit is due!

My friend and partner Dave Nelsen who does all my printing for me, has been very busy in some new discoveries with framing. I had asked him to see what he could do with my Donnie painting, and I think he surpassed all of my expectations. He actually superseded them. A frame inside a frame, with what feels like a very soft foam. He said it is a fabric with a foam board behind it. The color of the frame itself is pewter. The color of the fabric is purple, to compliment the red and blue colors I used in this painting. I couldn't be more happy with the end result. I think it will only add to the art show!

I wanted to display the frame and mat work I finished last night as well. I really like how it finished. I hope people will like what I do. Thanks for looking, Sid

Friday is Native American New Year!

Among the Otoe Missouria the Bear clan is in charge or Chief, during the fall and winter months. Before calenders the ancestors would go by a tree frog that would let them know spring time is here. When the newest grass shoots come up, and the temperature warms, New life is celebrated. This coming Friday we will have our Buffalo clan lodge. It is an opportunity for Buffalo clan members to cleanse themselves from the long winter. It is our time to take over as Chiefs or be in charge through the spring and summer months. Kinda like the changing of the guard. This has been planned for sometime now. We will have our elder of the Buffalo clan lead the sweat lodge for us. We have clan members coming from different places around the country. We even have visiting tribes that join in with the blessing. We will ask blessing for the spring, and summer for all the tribe. Mid July is the Otoe encampment(powwow). We will ask for a good year, that the creator will be merciful upon us. I want to wish everyone a good spring, as we draw closer to the Easter season. Thank you for reading.

Merle Haggard and John Anderson put on a great show!

Wife and I had a chance to get out last night. First time in awhile since we had a chance to get out. We had gone to the Tulsa Blues fest. in the past, but I think they stopped it. Not too many musician/artists we will go see. When we heard that Merle Haggard was coming to town, we quickly looked into a couple of tickets to attend. We honestly had no idea what we was getting into, because that was a sold out crowd at the First Council Casino, North of Newkirk, Ok. at Chilocco. It actually sits right next to the Kansas state line. So about half the crowd was from Kansas.
John Anderson came out first, we didn't know he was on the ticket with Merle. He actually did a good show. All of his hit songs.
Merle Haggard didn't need to do nothing but be hisself, and his show was awesome. All of the old great ones. He still has it!
Maybe they will bring Willie Nelson to town now. I look forward to going back, depending on who is performing. Looks like they will have performers coming in all through the year.
The set up that First Council has is a humongous tent. I understand they hold boxing fights there as well as tough man fights.
First Council has a pretty good buffet for those of you that may be looking at eating then go to a show. Wife and I don't gamble, so the casino won't get any money from us in that respect, but we will go eat. Crab legs was on the menu last night, along with prime rib. Not to bad for a place out in the country.

Ponca Powwow history through my eyes..

As old as Ponca Powwow is, I still enjoy going to look on, and listen to the songs. Those old songs never get too old to listen too. I remember going to the powwow as a small boy, and there was so many dancers. Lot's of straight dancers. Looked like all the men would wear black vests with bandannas around their necks. A Ponca trait. I remember looking at the dancers and could tell what tribe they were just by the way they dressed. Something you can't hardly tell today!

The fancy dancers had come some distance from when the first fancy dancers (Gus MacDonald) had started at the Ponca Powwow. I remember one man in particular when attending the powwow. When you saw him dance you could automatically tell who he was, by the tall frame, and the high head dress, (no roach)the black and blue costume of Garland Kent Sr. He was the benchmark of Ponca powwow fancy dance in his day. I know the older tribal memebers from around the surrounding area, of the Tonkawa, Osage, Otoe Missouria, Pawnee, and Kaw tribes, remember GK when he danced. He was always fun to watch during the contest on Sunday night.

I had contacted him, and visited with him about his dancing, and was able to get a few photographs of him from Lucy (his wife).

I wanted to capture that image on a mat, as the way I remember his dancing. After a couple of start, erase, and start overs. I was finally able to finish what I had intended in the first place.

I won't show this painting until the gallery at the Ponca City art center, but just wanted you to know what I have been doing here the past few days. I already sent it on to Dave, my printer for press. I will have prints available for sale, for those of you that may be interested.

Do any of you remember the Indian two step going in a giant round circle, with nothing added to it? Two steps forward one step back, turn pivot and keep going. It was that way I remember when the two step was danced. There always was a clown in the arena too, wearing a weird straight dance costume. Used to scare the heck out of us kids too.. Funny today when you think back to how things used to be in the big arena. A very scared place, the clown was a whip man. Kept order in the arena.

My late Grandmother along with 3 other Ponca women, (all grandmas) were the very first women to go out around the big drum and sing with the men. That was forbidden until they broke the rule. Lots of history in our family with the big drum.

Thanks for reading.. aho!

ArtNatAm featured artist webpage at last!!

Marten Jensen resides in the Netherlands. He is the web master of ArtNatAm he sent me an email today notifying me of my web page being up and live now! I have been waiting for this for some time now. Total elation! I just sent him several more paintings for him to add to the site for me.

I was preoccupied with the upcoming art gallery here in Ponca City next month, I had honestly forgotten about it. Now that it is up now, makes things much better all the way around. When you do a google search on Native American Art the first page up is ArtNatAm. This excites me!!!! Should get some good responses now.

3 more paintings completed and ready for the Gallery!

I have the painting of the buckskin lady dancer complete, and will send it on for printing. I finished another one the first Otoe Meeting, that depicts all 7 clans in one meeting. I already sent it on for printing. I finished another one last night in the series of painted faces. This one I did is of my youngest brothers son, my nephew Donnie. He is a traditional dancer, who has won many contests for his dancing. He is a proud father today, and has a good woman by his side. Someone to help keep him grounded.
I thought I would go ahead and post his painting I just finished.

Friday I began my diet..

I recently got an old VHS tape from my Mom, she had in her closet. The date was 1984 on it. I recorded it at my late Grandmothers birthday dance. At one point you could see my waist line, and I think I must have been wearing size 34 waist pants. My nephews and nieces watching with me couldn't believe that was me. Everyone laughed, kinda of a loud message to me! I even had a full head of hair!

So this past Friday I made my mind up, I want to lose some weight, and I think a realistic goal would be to lose 40 lbs. To be a size 34 again. I would be lean and mean.. lol I do know the older we get the harder it becomes to lose weight. I will first need to learn to be patient. Keep it simple, one day at a time approach I think will be best.

I want to look good this spring, and summer. For those of you that want to lose weight or are already on a diet. I wish you well, good luck, and hang in there.