Grandpa John:
24” X 24” Mixed Media on Canvas.
Grandpa John
Original Mixed Media on Canvas | Paint Pour, Oil, and Airbrush
This piece is a tribute to an adopted Native American elder I lovingly called Pops. Grandpa John is more than a portrait — it's a woven memory of presence, medicine, and layered connection.
Created using a poured acrylic backdrop, then detailed with airbrush and oil, the piece reveals itself in swirling, organic forms. Subtle layering gives life to the landscape, where the figure of Grandpa John emerges with quiet authority.
Within the forms, sacred animal allies appear: an elk, symbol of endurance and spiritual authority, and an eagle, messenger between worlds. Their presence within the chaos of color reflects the way his wisdom often emerged in unexpected, unspoken ways.
This painting is part memory, part vision. It carries the medicine of elderhood, and the mystery of what we inherit when we listen closely.
Grandpa John is a prayer in paint for those who still walk with the teachings of those who came before.
