Harriette F. Tsosie

Military Service

Branch: Spouse
Dates: From to

I work primarily in acrylic, but have also studied encaustic (pigmented beeswax) and attempted cold wax medium and oil. My work explores ideas about identity, which I see as shaped by genetics, language, and place. Genetic work focused on the discovery of my paternal grandparents love letters and diaries. Language—mainly English literature—was the focus of my academic studies. I also took Latin, French, and Spanish courses, but am not fluent in any of them. I consider Native American petroglyphs to be a written language. The text in my paintings is generally from archaic or extinct languages, including petroglyphs, which are visually interesting. I like the sensuous shapes of the characters and symbols and often disregard their literal meaning. After moving from Iowa to New Mexico in 1995, I became more aware of place and its importance in shaping culture. I think many of our problems stem from our divorce from nature.

I tend to think symbolically and metaphorically which is why my work juxtaposes real and imagined images. There are things that cannot be approached directly: art attempts to approach and understand them. To me, making art is a form of praying.

My work is included in the Bernalillo County public art collection. Two of my paintings were recently selected for the Southwest Artist Purchase Initiative.