Arty Farty Friday ~ Paul Goble and T. C. Cannon

Two artist/illustrators both born on 27 September, different years, different ethnicities, different continents but, coincidentally, both painted Native American subjects. Brief biographical details are taken from Wikipedia. I decided it'd be interesting to compare their natal charts, as well as examples of their artworks.

Paul Goble was born in Haslemere, England on
27 September 1933. He studied at the Central School of Art in London, worked as a furniture designer, industrial consultant, and art instructor. He published his first children’s book in 1969, entitled Red Hawk's Account of Custer's Last Battle.

In 1977, he moved to the Black Hills in South Dakota and was adopted by Chief Edgar Red Cloud. Goble was greatly influenced by Plains Indian culture and his subsequent children’s books reflect this. "I feel that I have seen and learned many wonderful things from Indian people which most people would never have the opportunity to experience. I simply wanted to express and to share these things which I love so much."

In 1979, Goble received the Caldecott Medal award, presented each year for the most distinguished children's picture book. It was awarded for his 1978 book The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses. Most of his books, retellings of ancient stories, are told from the perspectives of different tribes among the Native Nations. They represent Goble’s effort to make Native American traditions understandable to children of all heritages.

Goble and his wife, Janet Goble, live in Rapid City, South Dakota.
(Wikipedia)

T.C. Cannon

 "Self portrait with Star of David"

Tommy Wayne Cannon, born on September 27, 1946 in Lawton, Oklahoma. died, too soon, on May 8, 1978. He was an important Native American artist of the 20th century. An enrolled member of the Kiowa Tribe and of Caddo, French, and Choctaw descent, he was popularly known as T.C. Cannon. Hegrew up in Zodaltone and Gracemont, Oklahoma and was raised in the Kiowa culture of his father, Walter Cannon, and Caddo traditions of his mother, Minnie Ahdunko Cannon. His Kiowa name, Pai-doung-a-day, means "One Who Stands in the Sun." He was exposed to the art of the Kiowa Five, a group of Native American painters who achieved international reputations in the fine art world and who helped developed the Southern Plains-style of painting. Stephen Mopope of the Kiowa Five and Lee Tsatoke, Sr. were particularly influential on the young artist.

T.C. Cannon joined the Institute of American Indian Arts of Santa Fe in 1964, where he studied under Fritz Scholder. After graduation from IAIA, he enrolled in the San Francisco Art Institute but left after two months and enlisted in the army. As paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division, Cannon was sent to Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. During the Tet Offensive, he earned two Bronze Star Medals. He was also inducted into the Black Leggings Society, the traditional Kiowa warriors' society.
(Wikipedia)

Cannon's untimely death at the age of 31 in a 1978 car accident catapulted him to cult status among Indian artists of the time. His sophisticated use of color and style coupled with unflinching political content gave voice to a new generation of socially aware modern Native American artists and writers.
(See HERE)

 A Remembered Muse

 Osage with Van Gogh

 Soldiers

 Mural at a cultural center in Seattle:  Epochs of the Plains History. Mother Earth, Father Son and the Children Themselves.

 Self portrait

Brief notes on their natal charts:

Paul Goble, born in Haslemere, England on 27 September 1933. No time of birth known - set for 12 noon.

I like that his natal Sun is exactly conjunct Jupiter. Jupiter represents, among other things, long distance travel, and Paul Goble emigrated from England to the USA, became immersed in the lore of its native peoples, writing and illustrating their stories. Venus (the arts) in Scorpio forms a sextile aspect to creative Neptune in Virgo. His natal Moon would be in Capricorn whatever his time of birth, and quite likely in trine to Neptune, a nice Earthy link between work/business and creativity. Saturn in Aquarius in harmonious trine to his Libra Sun/Jupiter/Mercury reflects the work/business connection of his re-location.





T.C. Cannon born on September 27, 1946 in Lawton, Oklahoma, no time of birth known - set for 12 noon.

Sun conjunct creative Neptune in Libra linked by sextile to Saturn in Leo - the link between creativity and work/business. His Moon would be either in early Scorpio or late Libra. Venus and Mars in Scorpio are adding passion and determination anyway. It's not easy to guess on which side of the Libra/Scorpio cusp his Moon was placed.

Cannon's chart is more compressed than Goble's, more focused, more Scorpio-heavy. I'd guess he was a more intense character altogether than Goble - his art style does seem to reflect that too.


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Looking through the non-PCness of Victoria's Secret - to something worse...

I stumbled upon the latest conflict in political correctness yesterday. Anybody who knows me well (not many people these days - they're mostly gone to the big wotnot in the sky) knows that I staunchly defended PC when it first appeared on the scene, many decades ago. Since then, because in certain circles it has been taken too far - farther than it was ever meant to be taken, "PC" has become, along with "socialist", a dirty word to some people.

This current conflict has arisen via a fashion parade by lingerie chain Victoria's Secret, and it's not for the first time something similar has occurred. The bone of contention this time is a Native American/American Indian War Bonnet worn, along with several items of turquoise jewellery of Native symbolism - and a leopard-skin patterned tiny bikini of no relevant symbolism at all. Native Americans have seen this display as being offensive and disrespectful of their culture. A similar thing happened on a previous occasion when Japanese Geisha garb was used, and fell under a similar barrage of accusations - of being offensive to Eastern culture.

I can't possibly feel as those of Native American bloodlines feel on this latest issue. I do, however, respect their hurt feelings and sensitivity. Vic's Secret say they took advice from cultural associations before going ahead with that particular costume in their fashion parade, and were given the go ahead. So there was no blatant disrespect intended - the matter was afforded some careful forethought. I understand they have now apologised and removed the image from any videos.

Lay aside the cultural aspect of this for a moment, the fact that the War Bonnet is a sacred symbol (see Wikipedia for information). Now...see Victoria's Secret's use of the costume as an affectionate, if clumsy, celebration of the beauty in Native American culture. Ask why would a war bonnet of whatever culture be celebrated?

War. War. War.

Killing. Of. Other. Humans. We are supposed to be trying to evolve, damn it! In which case celebrating something - anything - with any connection to killing, is not helpful or wise. War and battles are not to be celebrated, no matter how revered the symbols to any cultural set of humanity, ancient or modern, indigenous or invaders. I'm sorry if that point of view is offensive to Native Americans, but it is how I feel.....that is where this incident hits my own point of extreme sensitivity.

Arty Farty Black Friday ~ Native American Artist Blackbear Bosin

On this "Black Friday", a look at an artist unrelated to the day except (partly) by name: artist and sculptor Blackbear Bosin.
From Native Arts of America.com

Blackbear Bosin, the renowned Kiowa/Comanche artist, was born on June 5, 1921 near Anadarko, Oklahoma. He was the eldest son of Frank Blackbear Bosin & Ada Tivis (a beadworker). His maternal grand mother Kahchatscha was a Comanche Awl Band medicine woman. At 17, Blackbear helped his father run the family farm. After graduating from Cyril (OK) High school in 1940, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps during world war II. Due to family obligations, Blackbear was unable to accept two university art scholarships. painting in his spare time, Blackbear achieved success with little formal training.

Blackbear made his home in Wichita, Kansas. He worked as a color separator & platemaker, illustrator, commercial artist, gallery owner, sculptor & painter, and was featured in numerous publications, and won many awards.

At the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers in Wichita, Kansas stands "Keeper of the Plains", a dramatic 44-foot tall steel sculpture of an American Indian, donated to the city by its creator, Francis (Blackbear) Bosin.

From Kansapedia

Although the "Keeper of the Plains" undoubtedly is his most widely recognized work, Bosin expressed himself primarily through his paintings. He was almost entirely self-taught, and his early paintings were strictly representational depictions of Indian life. Over the years, however, his work became increasingly complex and the subject matter more profound. A spirit of Indian mysticism deeply influenced his work, and he eventually became internationally recognized for his vivid watercolors and acrylics.

By the time of his death in 1980 at the age of 59, the inventiveness and imagination reflected in his paintings had earned Blackbear Bosin a prominent place among American artists.

I have no time of birth for Blackbear Bosin, the chart is set for 12 noon on the date of his birth. A brief look, only for factors relating to his art style. Whatever his birth time Sun, Moon and Mars were all in communcative and versatile Gemini, with Venus, planet of the arts in Taurus, coming through clear and unadulterated from its home sign. Venus forms harmonious sextile aspect to the conjunction of Mercury and Pluto in sensitive Cancer reflecting both power and delicacy in the way he expressed himself through his art. Venus also sextiles Uranus in Pisces - the "inventiveness and imagination" highlighted in the quoted text above. In addition Sun sextiles Neptune (creativity).


Examples of his work:

Prairie Fire

Buffalo Hunt

They Moved Without Him

The Owl's Telling

Blackbear Bosin incorporated Native American symbolism and mythology into his design for this logo. "Dust flies and the earth trembles as man and nature collide in America's quest for energy. Here, man is building a nuclear power plant."
--Fort Scott Tribune, May 21, 1977. The Wolf Creek Generating Station logo is a synthesis of man and nature. Its Native American designer used symbolism and mythology to link nuclear technology to the Kansas landscape.

Copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner.