Canyon de Chelly

Oil on linen, 30"x36" Canyon de Chelly is a beautiful canyon in the northeast corner of Arizona, USA, near Chinle on the Navajo Nation. It is one of my favorite painting subjects. A good friend of mine from art school is Teddy Draper, Jr., son of a Navajo code talker. Teddy Draper, Sr. was a Marine who landed with the troops on Iwo Jima, and was with the men who performed the famous flag raising on Mt. Suribachi. I had the privilege of meeting and chatting with Mr. Draper Sr. at his 80th birthday dinner in his son's home. He has passed on now but will always be remembered and honored as a great hero.