"Dream Catcher Series I-Sweet Dreams"

I have an Apache cradleboard that was a gift many years ago. I've wanted to include this wonderful gift in a painting to commemorate the daily life of Native Americans. As a result I have decided to start a new series entitled "Dream Catcher Series." This is the first painting in that series which is the still-life portrait of an infant boy. The colors of the cradleboard are typical of the Apache tribe; the beadwork is for a boy. Included are his first moccasins, his medicine bag, and the gourd rattle used in the Naming Ceremony for his name. The Dream Catcher is usually hung over the cradleboard to encourage good dreams. In this case, the symbols in the background typify his first hunt. Red is usually the color of war, but can also signify a hunting party. Native American children are encouraged from an early age to practice their skills as a hunter in order to take a place of responsibility as a provider for the tribe. If you are interested in this painting, please contact me either here or on my website: http://www.vonniekohn.com/

24 x 30 Oil on Linen canvas

"No Generation Gap"

In today's society, teenagers and younger siblings sometimes grow apart in their common interests. Native American society, however, is a little different. Native children learn by the role-playing of the matriarchal members of the family. This painting is very contemporary in nature, enjoining the past with the present. These two sisters, a decade apart in age, are sitting in a living room, replete with contemporary decor, yet on the wall hangs a war shield reminiscent of days long ago. The elder sister is lacing a toy cradleboard for her younger sibling. In turn, the younger sister observes the method of lacing while holding a doll made by a beloved grandmother. Strengthened by the common bond of their Native culture, these sisters have "no generation gap."

22 x 30 watercolor on paper

collection of the artist