Brian Taaffe-Cordova
Taos Pueblo
Painter
Brian Taaffe is a graduate of The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) with a BFA focused in painting and printmaking. He is a multidisciplinary artist from the Red Willow People of Taos Pueblo. Growing up, he spent his childhood splitting his time between Taos Pueblo and Santa Fe, New Mexico. He also has ties to Hawai’i, living half his life in Oahu, on the windward side. Having learned at a young age how to create art in both 2D and 3D mediums, pottery was his first introduction into the study of art.
While in Hawai’i, Taaffe started painting Pueblo architecture, stating that he missed his family and that it brought him a little bit closer to home.
WORKS
– portfolio –
Artist Statement
“My paintings focus on Southwest aesthetics that incorporate traditional Adobe earthen architecture found throughout Northern New Mexico and other parts of the Southwest. I look to the life and spirits that once inhabited the land and the traditional dwellings that have stood the test of time.
As Indigenous and Native inhabitants we create our own history books. We came from stories and people that have survived for thousands of years. Our ancestors come from the land and are in the dust that shifts from place to place carrying a transference of cultural and spiritual knowledge.
Through the use of oil and acrylic mediums I convey my message utilizing light, shadow and simple forms to create an ethereal, and serene, quiet feeling for my viewers.“