¡Colores!; 804; A:shiwi A:wan/:Belonging to the Zuni; Interview with Ronnie Cachini; Part 1

Yeah I'm married to a lady for 12 years now yeah we have three kids and all this one's Tara she's nine years old the second was Terrence he's seven and our youngest one Stephanie she's probably 14 months old 14 or 15 to are you, boy.

It's so rotten. You think so? Tell me about yourself, what do you say, what do you have in the park around here? Yeah, uh, I've been in Zone of Rest of my life. resident and first we used to live over there by teen health center and in the early 70s we moved they were building houses and the tribe built a house for us down here west of the high school it's my great grandpa's land and we moved there I think it was in 70 70 first part of 70s I think yeah for 12 years yes I've been married for 12 years to a wonderful lady name is Latisha

we see we have three wonderful children the oldest one is Tara she's nine years old the second one is Terence he's seven and our baby 14 months old Stephanie when did you start off with my biggest inspiration was Alex when I saw his work at the church we took a field trip to the old mission and and

after that you know I was like really impressed with kachinas especially creating them and that's when I started off drawing I was 10 then 10 years old just just came naturally that's when I started off then in high school I started painting more and I started you know making my figures more like dimension and started doing dimensions and all that you know instead of just having a flat piece of painting you know a figure started shading them in and making them more like a realistic emotion you know and then I what I do is I paint Zuni Kachinas only I don't do other tribes you know because I don't

know what they are you know what I what I draw and what I paint is is from the heart and that's my my culture my tradition not it's something that you have to have inside you you know instead of copying other tribes I don't think that's right you know because they don't you don't know what they are and you know what the purpose what their purpose in life is you know what I would I make if I create something you know I I kind of like go in depth on it you know how they came to be and all that yeah the first first time I said food in the church was like wow what what neat paintings you know you know you

be standing there waiting for them to move or something you know there was like a journal I'm flowing and all that you know I was really impressed with him and especially speaking to Alex you know talking to him and all that you know and he's not the kind of person that that's you know put you down or nothing you know he's like always giving you a high spirit and everything you know and yeah that was like like walking into how do you say it I'm probably walking into a big old house full of goodies you know it's there was something that I can't really explain it but it just got to me you know it's just really moved me and everything you know and that's when I started drawing yeah I was

10 and when you walked out of the church did you make up your mind to be an artist then yeah yeah then I decided to become an artist you know that's when I started pushing myself into drawing and stuff like that but still you know something that was in me you know it came naturally that that I had the gift you know my fifth-grade teacher Mrs. Jean Dunnington was always inspiring me to to broaden my horizons in art you know she was always telling me that I was going to be an artist how did you discover that I just didn't like sit down and start doing it just gradually came to me that you know when I was in Mrs. Jean Dunnington's class

you know we used to do crafts like wall decorative and such and I was like the only one that had the nicest details or I probably put a decorate it you know pretty neatly and all that and then she always told me that I was going to be an artist you know I've tried looking her up but I couldn't find her she used to leave near icecapes somewhere and I was trying to look look her up a confiner you know and I bet she'll be impressed with me since she was the one that got me started in in this art world

yeah when probably in high school that's when I decided that I wanted to become artist yeah and watching Duane's paintings and Alexis that they're my main inspiration and they're both one wonderful person I like their work in you know I'm not like you know I like all kinds of art either be pottery or making a blanket you know something like this you know it's something that really catches my eye you know patterns or whatever you know it's I just like all kinds of art you know it's not just paintings you know be walking down or driving down the

road and I'll see a sculpture somewhere something that catches my eye you know check that out or either be clouds you know be going down the road and look up in the sky it'd be a nice you know cumulative cloud forming like that you know wow check out that cloud something like that you know yeah yeah you know that's where I get my my backgrounds and all that you know looking out at the sky and watching the clouds and trying to get the right color yeah she's a wonderful person I like her and what excuse me yeah you know watching clouds you know trying to get the right color it's probably

the hardest thing you know making the actual cloud color you know because sometimes they're really different sometimes they're blue sometimes they're red you know and sometimes it kind of has a yellow tone to it you know it's trying to get the exact cloud colors probably one of the difficult things in art you know painting you know but I truly I try to do my best you know try to make it you know to where I where I like it you know it's you know all my paintings you know what what when I create when I create a painting you know it's it's not like like I sit down with a piece of paper and lay out my figures what I'm gonna do you know I don't do that you know I just make the background and and just

look at it and say okay all right it's gonna be a rain dancer or a warrior running or something like that you know they're not just like just make my make a stick man you know to to where it make you like motion running or something like that because all all kachinas after separate you know walk or strut you know they don't have the same same style in walking you know some run some don't you know and you know it's just making the background it's probably the foundation of your painting you know just with the you add three gears onto it and then it just live you know brings it to life it's something that's from the heart you know yeah yeah I just created in my mind and then I sit down and make the

background and then it just comes out you know sometimes I do but sometimes I use a brush black paint you know just draw it out you know it's easier that way you know and instead of having a pencil marks on your canvas you know just use a black paint brush just make a figure and just paint it in fill it in I use I use acrylic but I use oils watercolors but but I feel more comfortable with acrylic and dries fast no I don't have any patience I have to like finish it right away or something you know but oils I like oils you know I'll do an oil

painting if someone wants it in oils but excuse me I feel more comfortable with acrylic you know it's easier to work with you know less mess sometimes when I want to enter in art show you know I try to make it elaborate as possible you know try to make a story on you know but sometimes you know I just like just create them you know I just don't really like like I don't create well you know and sometimes it's just what do you say well when I when I create something you know it's it's what did you ask

very stories yes stories yes you know when you look at it look at a painting you know it's it's like it tells a story by itself you know instead of you standing there explaining to them what it is but sometimes you know like if it's just a one-finger kind of deal you know it's no I don't really create a story behind it you know but I think it you know once you look at them you know it tells a story by itself you know yeah some some my but sometimes I just make

a abstract background and now you I just put a ground on there that'll be it but sometimes I like to do nature scenes you know mountains and flowers and such you know I have it in the foreground and shrubs and such you know but that's what I like to do mostly nature scenes but you know and sometimes I I do a papal scene you know have some keys running around or something like that you know in the background I just use colors you know whatever suits that that what I'm working on if I'm

like doing a prep little scene I'll probably use a lot of different colors you know I have to people wearing different clothes and all that you know that's so that's where you all kind of all the colors that you know when my favorite colors probably would probably blue or purple you know that's what I like to do and every time I create an abstract background I use blues or purples you know when you decide on what you're going to paint and we talk about stories but when you where does it come from you see something you never have to decide well not to be honest you know it's sometimes I like to create something you know very fast you

know one day job or something like that you know and sometimes you know I like to create paintings where they have a lot of detail in it you know and those take take quite a bit of time you know if I want to finish a painting right away you know probably make a a rain dancer or some warriors you know which they don't dress too elaborately and in such you know it just it just comes out I don't really sit down and stare at my canvas for an hour or so you know it's just like sit down and I'm decide what I'm gonna make and and picture it in my mind okay all right it's gonna be less or that you know sit down and grab my brush and start painting but it's mostly from the heart I just don't sit down and just

create something that I don't feel that it'll be right you know but you sit down and look at your canvas and then it just like comes to your mind and just just sit down and start start painting and think of like of what you're gonna do next if you should put another another figure on there or or something like that you know just have your whole layout and I don't I don't copy from sketches or stuff like that I don't even have sketches it just what I create is just from from sure you know like imagination sometimes they come out all right and sometimes they don't you know but you just need to keep trying you know instead

of if it if it doesn't come out right you know you just can't say oh forget this you know I quit I don't want to be an art