Indian Paintbrush

I was born and raised in Montreal Quebec, Canada; studied drawing and painting at L’Ecole des Beaux Arts, etching at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art and stonecut printing with Canadian sculptor Stanley Lewis.

In 1974, along with renowned Vermont sculptor Paul Aschenbach and a team of 5 others, I completed two works, each over 9 tons of marble, in Danby and Stowe where I lived.

Drawn to the west in 1978 I moved into a tiny log cabin in Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole, Wyoming and fell in love with the wilderness, wildlife, wild flowers and the exciting experience of being in the high country. I am deeply moved in meadows of Indian paintbrush, mountain bluebells, monkey- flowers, glacier lilies and alpine forget-me-nots. The local bison herd walked through our property and moose, elk, deer, coyotes and bear were at our doorstep. It was then I began a series of wildlife and wild flower stonecut prints.

Numerous Indian tribes, Bannock, Shoshone, Snake, traveled through the Jackson Hole valley to their hunting grounds in Yellowstone. Being in such close proximity spurred my interest to their plight and I have completed eight stones on Indian Oratory of Seven Great Chiefs: Chief Joseph, Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, Washakie, Crazyhorse, Geronimo, Plenty Coups and Seattle.

After our cabin burned down we spent a year in Hawaii and eleven years in the Canadian wilderness where I hiked the Banff, Jasper and Yoho National Parks and lived with grizzlies on my back porch. A look into the eyes of a bear close up is a soul-stirring experience.

In 1976 I passed through Taos and knew someday I would return. It took 26 years. When we moved from Wyoming in 2001 I spent the first year drifting amidst the colors, textures and light quality of this high desert country and became inspired with shapes and hues of boulders and the grandeur of the Rio Grande Gorge.

Sculpting in marble creates a strong affinity for the earth which grounds and gives me a wonderful sense of achievement. I carve my sketch onto a slab of marble, ink the slab, drop a piece of paper, rub the surface and pull a print. Each print is an original. There are 50 prints to an edition, then the stone is sold as a sculpture.

I have shown in galleries in Canada and the U. S. "Going Home," a 3-dimensional piece in Bianco pei marble and Mexican Onyx, and my coyote stonecut print both won prizes in "Women Artists of the American West" exhibits. In 2004 I had a one-woman show in Taos and participated in shows in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

My work can be seen at my studio on the Gorge, Hondo Mesa, just north of Taos.
Call for an appointment. (505)-776-1430
Box 636, Taos, New Mexico 87529
backroadspr@cybermesa.com

Harriet Greene