Native Life
Native artist creates sculptures from Trinity River Valley sandstone
By MARK BEDOR
Born in 1950 near the Chilocco Indian School in northern Oklahoma, Native American artist, sculptor, and printer Gordon Tonips is from the Comanche and Kiowa tribes of Oklahoma. Tonips, whose Comanche name is Waits for the Sun, can trace his family roots to some of the most dramatic events of the 1800s.
He celebrates that heritage as an Indian dancer and as a speaker on Native American culture and beliefs.
Today Tonips lives in Fort Worth, Texas, and creates sculptures from sandstone found in the Trinity River Valley in north central Texas. He uses sandstone to recreate the ancient cliff dwellings of the Anasazi, an ancient group of people who lived in what is now the American Southwest and mysteriously vanished centuries before Columbus set sail.
"When I sculpt a stone, I travel into the past a thousand years and relive the daily lives of the great people who built and lived in these sacred places," says Tonips, who also works with rainbow stone, alabaster, marble, granite, and limestone to create his sculptures.
While specializing in sculpting, the well-rounded artist also creates photography, leather works, and paintings, and re-creates Comanche and Kiowa artifacts and regalia. His award-winning work has been featured at numerous Native American markets and will be shown this year at the Santa Fe Indian Market August 22-23.
• Info: www.comancheartist.com
Issue: September 2009
