Viewing page 23 of 88

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Yes but nothing ceremonial or religious - because so much of the room is that way and it is a dining room - we wish to make it a suitable room to eat in - You see the rainbow around the top - that will run all around the room. I felt if he put a rainbow over his deer - it would be too much. So I found charcoal bits for him & we have a table & a chair on it - but the chamois were in the pockets of the boys - dislodged one at last. & he went to work - says he must finish it by Saturday - other work to do next week. Miguel & I cleaned terribly gummy paint plates palletes, knives & pans in turps. Tiresome details with housepainters too.
Oqua Pi is laying in a horse and rider - spirited, flowing lines - Drawing it just as the cavemen [[strikethrough]] must [[/strikethrough]]  must have swung in their superb drawings of animals. freely - with deep concentration & with strictest economy of lines. "Have you room for your horse by the chimney?" Yes he replied with quiet confidence - this (indicating the large space to his left - is for the action of the deer."
July. 6 - Wed.
[[line]]
What a jolt - Oqua Pi's horse was standing stock still - stiff as if frozen. The man on him was shooting an arrow at two bounding deer. I walked about the room, hoping to get his point of view - to bring my mind to liking it - Perhaps, beside the static  chimney-a static horse & maybe he had a sound aesthetic reason. Hokeab was drawing [[written over "painting"]] in his sun worshipper. So sure of himself. I asked him what he thought of the large panel. He did not like it, the horse had stopped, seemed scared. The horse I said is frozen. So we walked up to Oqua Pi & asked him about it. He felt it to be right & defended his work. The other men from his pueblo looked on concerned. He is an extremely temperamental person. Then all went back to work except Oqua Pi & myself. We stood before the drawing and I felt troubled. "Do you think it right in this spirited composition with the deer bounding away - that the horse should be standing stiff & still?" "That is an Indian horse - we draw them that way." "But Indian horses - I have seen many of them, painted long long ago - on deer skins and buffalo hides - running leaping, jumping-very active." Then I [[insert]] too [[/insert]] walked away - The man is a tragic figure. Hamlet is not more lonely. Another pathetic figure is Albert the little Navajo. For days he has gazed mournfully at the beautiful great spaces of