2018 the year I began painting portraits.
Here is a little peek into my process for this painting titled ” Sky buffalo dancer” oil on canvas 24×30. This young man is part of the Sky City Buffalo Ram dancers who dance at the Pueblo cultural center in Albuquerque New Mexico. I painted this with permission from the Pueblo Cultural Center.
In 2018 I decided to push myself and give a go at portraiture, this both scared and excited me. I felt I had grown enough in my technique and skill level. I have no real formal training in how to paint the portrait. The art school I went to 20 years ago focused on drawing and painting instruction was more of a conversation and less of demonstration.

Dancing is both a personal and community experience. We are quit literally dancing in the footsteps, stories, and songs of our ancestors. All of the parts of dancing about culture, community and prayer, from the assembling the regalia to the drumming and singing. In my case painting native culture is both a meditation and a prayer for me. This painting was very technically challenging, children are not proportioned the same as adults. The background is a combination of brushwork and pallet knife. I really stretched my artistic self on this painting by mixing realism with the abstract background.

Here is what I’ve learned: Perseverance is the key to success. No really!
Allowing imperfection in my art process has allowed for exponential growth, and I ultimately end up creating what I need to learn at that moment. I got stuck many times and questioned myself throughout this painting but I didn’t give in or give up.
Each new painting shows me a new way to either apply paint, mix colors, use the brush, and so much more. The more I learn to paint, the more I realize I have so much more to evolve and experience in my art. Thank you for following along on my journey as an artist and blog writer.
Much love, Le’Ana
It is hard to believe you ever doubted yourself with how this artwork turned out. The background gave the piece an energy that couldn’t have been achieved with a traditional blurred image. You are an amazing artist!
Hey RJ, First of all thank you for reading and commenting. Yay! I’m also thankful for the wonderful compliment. Believe it or not I’ve only been painting portraiture for the past year or so. I pretty much self taught myself. You just made my day.