The Painting the Dream: Inspirational Design Ideas

“Paladin is a light-bearer and a truth-bringer, an original thinker and a spiritual warrior who ushers in a new light that allows all of us to see our world with new eyes . . . and take us more deeply into understanding our own spiritual journey.” Matthew Fox, author of Original Blessing.” . . the leading Navajo modern artist.”Newsweek”Painting the Dream introduces us to David Paladin’s extraordinary visionary paintings where the archetypal beings of all native cultures seem part of one great Cosmic tribe. Highly recommended.”Alex Grey, artist and author of Sacred Mirrors and TransfigurationsPainting the Dream invites us into the remarkable life of visionary artist and activist David Chethlahe Paladin (1926-1984). Paladin’s art was his life; through it, he fulfilled his desire to serve, to heal, to live compassionately, and to walk the Navajo way of beauty. Paladin was a runaway adventurer in the South Seas at age 14, a soldier, spy, prisoner of war in Dachau, and decorated hero before he reached the age of 20. As a student at the Chicago Art Institute he met Marc Chagall, who encouraged him to draw upon his native heritage as the source of inspiration for his paintings. Paladin’s childhood was spent on a Navajo reservation, where visionary experiences were accepted as a natural part of reality. His brilliant and evocative paintings resonate with his visions and form a bridge between the physical world and the world of dreams. A shaman as well as an artist, Paladin was one of the first Native American painters to move beyond traditional themes and styles of painting. Over the years his associations with indigenous people from around the world and the rich belief systems they shared with him provided another basis for his visual tapestries of wonder and celebration. Alive with Navajo, Pueblo, Huichol, and Egyptian deities; Aboriginal Dreamtime images; and mythological beings born of the imagination and lore of many ages and lands, Paladin’s art has been praised for its exuberance, eclecticism, spirituality, and original use of symbols. This remarkable book explores the connection between Paladin’s public art and his private life, showing how he not only honored his spiritual ancestors in his art but also was an activist for native rights and the rights of all humanity. His prose and paintings illuminate a philosophy in which we are all creators and transformers when we respond with openness to our environment and our fellow beings. David Chethlahe Paladin has been profiled in numerous magazines, including American Indian Art Magazine and Southwest Art, and honored for his contributions to the arts and education.