Jessica Crabtree

Teacher, mathematician, aeronautical engineer, rocket scientist, top-secret ballistics expert, NASA Apollo project consultant.

And, did I mention, a Cherokee woman?

Mary G. Ross, born in 1908, was the great-great granddaughter of the Cherokee chief John Ross, and grew up in the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Her mathematical talents were quickly recognized and by 1942 she was working for the Lockheed Corporation, a position she held for more than 30 years. She is regarded as America’s first woman engineer, and for decades held a prominent place as one of the country’s most valuable scientists. She used her skills to promote education among young Native Americans across the country. She passed away in 2008 just shy of her 100th birthday.

Read more about the career of this brilliant Indian woman:

National Museum of the American Indian: Mary G. Ross

Mary G. Ross (center) at the opening ceremony of the National Museum of the American Indian.

Courtesy of the National Wildlife Federation - 2006 Photo Contest

February 3, 1894: Birth of American painter & illustrator Norman Rockwell

Rockwell is undoubtedly one of America’s most beloved artists. Over his long career as a painter, portrait artist and illustrator, he produced many of the most iconic images of American life. His incredible talent and keen eye for human nature resulted in paintings that were sometimes heartwarming, sometimes provocative, and always outstanding. His role as cover illustrator for The Saturday Evening Post lasted nearly 50 years and produced many of his most outstanding pieces. He died in 1978 leaving over 4,000 original works.

He once said, “Some people have been kind enough to call me a fine artist. I’ve always called myself an illustrator. I’m not sure what the difference is. All I know is that whatever type of work I do, I try to give it my very best. Art has been my life.”

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It’s finished! My latest portrait, Zuni, 14×14 pastel on suede.

Now I can add the signature and it will be ready for my Gallery. You can see the painting in various stages by clicking the “Latest” tag below, or “Sneak Peek” on the menu.

This portrait is based on a 1903 photograph from the Edward Curtis collection. A huge portion of this work is dedicated to images of the Southwest, particularly the Pueblo regions where this man is from.

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My art exhibit at the Community Gallery of the First Service Bank in Clinton, Arkansas will continue through the month of February. The newest pieces in my portfolio will be on display. The exhibit is open to the public during bank hours, call 1-501-745-7200 for more information.

January 30, 1615: Birth of Thomas Rolfe, the son of Pocahontas

Thomas Rolfe was the only child of the legendary Powhatan “Indian princess” Pocahontas and her English husband John Rolfe. Pocahontas, whom we all know from grade school history, was the daughter of the sachem or chief of the Powhatan Confederacy of Virginia’s Tidewater Region, and a pivotal figure in the founding of the Jamestown colony.

Although much of her life has been shrouded in popular mythology, many facts are well-established. In 1614 she was baptized Rebecca and married English planter John Rolfe in Virginia, where their son Thomas was born a year later. They traveled to England in 1616 where she and her son were presented at the court of King James and received with great ceremony. She died in 1617 at the age of 23 after falling ill on the voyage home. The young Thomas remained in England, where he later married an Englishwoman and served in the English military. He eventually returned to his birthplace in Virginia. The Rolfe’s influential position as planters made their descendants one of the founding families of Virginia, from which many politicians and other prominents have claimed descent.

Although only one portrait is known to have been made of Pocahontas in her lifetime, this painting showing her with her young son Thomas may have been commissioned shortly after her death. Known as the Sedgeford portrait, it was allegedly passed down through the Rolfe family for hundreds of years and now resides in a museum. Most representations of her tend to reflect stereotypes or agendas in the portrayal of history. The Nova special “Pocahontas Revealed” explores the many aspects of the Pocahontas story, and also features an interactive examining many famous Pocahontas portraits and how depictions of her have changed over time.

“Pocahontas Revealed”: A PBS Nova documentary

Virtual Jamestown: Pocahontas
(An essay from the Virtual Jamestown Museum with many little-known facts about Pocahontas)

Red is possibly the most important color in art, and our long history of attraction to it is very apparent. There’s evidence that we’ve been using it for decorative and ceremonial purposes for over 70,000 years. Archaeologists have uncovered caches of red ochre pigments at Paleolithic sites all over the world; the famous Ice Age cave paintings at Lascaux and Altamira, for instance, feature this pigment predominantly. Recently scientists have found a Neanderthal site in Spain with remnants of what appears to be body paint made from red ochre. In many ways red is our signature color. It has always represented life (because it is the color of blood), vitality, and emotion.

In scientific terms, red lies at the far end of the light spectrum, and as reflected light it has the highest wavelength our eyes can detect. So in its fullest chromas it has a powerful sensory appeal - a real attention-getter. That’s why stop lights and warning signs are bright red, and not bright green, and by the same token it’s why red roses are considered romantic and traditional Chinese brides wear red wedding gowns. Red used in composition creates warmth and draws a viewer’s focus, and is most intense when contrasted against black.

The red pigments used in art derive mostly from clays containing iron-based compounds, such as red ochre. Other sources are metallic compounds, such as mercury and sulfur in cinnabar or vermilion; pigments extracted from insects (carmine); and plant dyes. In pastels, many of the finest and most colorfast reds are made in parts of the world where the clays are found to have a high degree of color intensity from the minerals they contain, and exceptional texture that makes the pastels highly blendable.

National Geographic Photo Gallery: Life in Color - RED

Zuni, 14×14 pastel on suede: Click for larger view

Almost done with my portrait Zuni. I need to touch up a few areas on the face and the headscarf, then complete his shoulders & heishi necklace.

I used mostly Nupastels for the flesh and hair, since they are smaller and firmer and work well in small spaces. For the base coat and highlights I use my Sennelier soft pastels because they blend so smoothly. To make the reflection appear glossy, I rub a little of a pale pink soft pastel on top of the base coat, then apply a light layer from a darker Nupastel; this prevents a dull chalky look. I love the deep furrowed wrinkles in this expressive face; to achieve realism I have used the shadow color directly against the highlight tone, so the strong contrast draws the eye and creates depth.

Click the “latest” or “sneak peek” tags below to see the step-by-step photos of the portrait.

Black Hawk and his son Whirling Thunder
Oil painting by John Wesley Jarvis, 1833: from the collection of the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa.

Black Hawk was one of the most important resistance leaders of the Sauk & Fox Indians, part of the Algonquian peoples of the Great Lakes/Upper Midwest region. The conflict named for him, the Black Hawk War of 1832, was fought like so many others over fraudulent seizures of Native American homelands. It resulted in the forced relocation of many Sauk as part of a large-scale program of Indian removals which included the notorious “Trail of Tears.”

After the war, the captive Black Hawk and his son, among others, were taken on a circuit show and exhibited to crowds of curious onlookers, often met with mocking and hostility. On the Midwestern frontier where the relationship between white settlers and Native Americans was a volatile issue, their presence was greeted with riots and lynch mobs. It is said that the public in some places began to object to the shameful display after seeing how both Black Hawk and his son endured the exhibits with such dignity.

During his captivity Black Hawk was interviewed for a biography which sold widely, and sat for several portraits, including the one shown above. He was eventually allowed to return to his people in what is today Iowa, where he died in 1838.

Jim Thorpe, the renowned Native American athlete and Olympic medalist, was of Sauk and Fox ancestry and descended from the same clan as Black Hawk. He is reported to have said that he was as proud of that as of any of the medals he had won.

Courtesy of the Canadian Wildlife Foundation.