Turquoise Tortoise Gallery Features
Native American Abstract Expressionist
Artist Joe Maktima In Sedona Arizona
Sedona, AZ: This month, Sedona's thirty-six year old Turquoise Tortoise Gallery celebrates one of its newest artists: Abstract Expressionist painter Joe Maktima. The gallery hosts an opening reception on Friday, January 4th, from 5-8 p.m., as part of the Sedona Gallery Association's "1st Friday, Evening in the Galleries" event. For this artist, the seeds of artistic expression were planted at a young age: Maktima grew up in the traditional land of the Hopi watching his grandfather, a craftsman and artisan, carve wood and paint and watching his father create paintings at their kitchen table. These influences encouraged Maktima to become a visual artist and to earn his Fine Arts degree from Northern Arizona University.
For eons, the ways of Native people have shifted and changed over time and Maktima's canvases represent part of this organic progression, bringing the creative expressions of this third generation artist into the contemporary world. Concepts for his creative vision are expressed in the genre of Abstract Expressionism, a style that has been inspiring and influential to his approach to painting.
For Maktima, the overall design of a piece, whether his own or that of any artist, is of utmost importance, as is a sense of continuity and the formal elements of composition such as texture, rhythm and a consistency in color relationships. "There are no sketches for the work I produce," Joe explains. "I begin with a general idea, and allow the process of my own creative and critical thought to guide a composition that in the end will hopefully exhibit an aura of value and integrity."
Maktima has developed a singular approach to his medium, combining sand, gold, handmade paper and other materials with acrylics to produce symbolic abstracts with an intense color palette. "I begin with a general idea, and allow the process of my own creative and critical thought to guide a composition that in the end will hopefully exhibit an aura of value and integrity," the artist says. His work is "humanistic in approach," Maktima goes on to say, "and rooted within my artistic-aesthetic virtues. My work seeks to intrigue and entice the viewer towards the contemplation of the creative process."
To that end, the thought-provoking paintings of this inspiring artist greatly succeed. For further information, contact Turquoise Tortoise Gallery, located in Hozho Center in the heart of "Gallery Row," 431 Highway 179, Sedona. Call 928-282-2262 or visit Turquoise Tortoise Gallery. Open daily: 10-6 Mon-Sat, 11-5 Sun.
Article courtesy of Patricia Knight. |
