Canyon de Chelly Homecoming
MARTHA MARKS COMMENTS ON BERNARD MARKS’ UNUSUAL OIL PAINTING “CANYON DE CHELLY HOMECOMING”:
In “Canyon de Chelly Homecoming,” one of Bernie’s final oil paintings, he departs in a notable way from his previous method of painting the varied lanscapes of northeastern Arizona.
Bernie had often painted famous places like Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park and the adjacent Painted Desert, plus much of the Dine (Navajo) land.
These outings often brought him into contact with tribal members, who always treated him with great courtesy. But he didn’t know any of them personally until the last year of his life, when a friend in Santa Fe introduced him to two other artists who happened to be Dine. Bernie’s conversations with them opened up a new interest in his life.
He was excited to study Dine history, symbols, and culture, hoping to understand its people and looking for elements to integrate into his paintings. He did incorporate some of those symbols into this painting, which was one of the last he ever painted. He had hoped to show it to his two new friends, but he died before that could be arranged.
“Canyon de Chelly Homecoming” combines the two things that Bernie most loved to bring into his works. He gives us not only a striking southwestern landscape butalso intriguing figures of both people and animals. It also reflects the crisper feeling of his late-stage paintings. He pulled all those elements together here.
This website offers three of Bernie’s paintings from this amazing place: “Canyon de Chelly in Autumn,” “Canyon de Chelly Homecoming,” and “Canyon de Chelly Colorations.”
This original painting is available for purchase, as are large, top-quality, custom-made giclée prints.
• oil on canvas, ready for hanging or framing
• 20″ x 24″
TO PLACE AN ORDER…
Choose a link below for the painting or print of your choice. (Prices include all applicable taxes. If shipping is needed, that additional cost will depend on the distance from Santa Fe and the speed desired.)
2.GICLEE PRINT ON THICK ARCHIVAL PAPER, same size as the original, ready for framing: $550
3. PRINT ON GALLERY-WRAPPED CANVAS, same size as the original, ready for hanging or framing: $550
CONTACT MARTHA MARKS if you’d prefer a different size print.
Return to the ARIZONA page of the Oils and Acrylics section.
This painting and all reproductions of it are © Bernard Marks Fine Art LLC. No unauthorized use is permitted. All rights reserved.