"The Last Grandchild"

As with most families, we have a family tradition. My g-grandfather built handmade chairs & rockers for extra income. In the early days, he took a wagon load of rockers & various types of chairs to market. On his last trip, he gave each of his grown children a chair with the instructions that it was to be handed down to the youngest of each grandchild as a family heirloom. As luck would have it, the little red chair was given to my mother, the youngest at that time. Now I am in possession of this small chair which is being preserved for my youngest.

The seat is covered with old deer hide that has split & curled in the most interesting texture. The quilt, the Bethlehem Star pattern, also her quilt, is reminisicent of the period in which the chair was fashioned. Her christening dress, garden hat, and doll are all a part of her place in our family...this is a portrait of "the last grandchild" of my generation.

20 x 24 framed..please see my website if interested: www.vonniekohn.com

"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