Frank Howell

He was born on July 31, 1937 and was the only son of a U.S. Army Air Force enlisted person who was also one-fourth Lakota Sioux. His mother was English and Irish-American. As part of a military family his early life was subject to much disruption due to base changes and the like. As the oldest child he had to do his share to help in the care of his younger siblings. Having had a great deal of responsibility foisted upon him early helped to create a somewhat rebellious personality. It appears that a highly stabilizing influence in his life was his half-Lakota Sioux grandmother. It was through his grandmother that he developed his senses and particularly his sense of touch. It is not surprising, therefore that in addition to being an acco

. . .
g and even surreal feeling. Most of his paintings depict a solitary individual with detailing only surrounding the face, the hair and possibly the hands. This feature is one of the "signature characteristics" of his later work. The faces portrayed in his art are unusually old, weathered, androgynous and hint of secrets and hidden insights. Upon closer inspection it is clear that many of the faces he has presented in his paintings were curiously neither absolutely male nor female since, in the opinion of Howell, spirituality transcended gender (French, 1997, 4). He was able to provide linkages between this world and other times (and possibly spiritual worlds) through his use of animals in concert with the subject. He seems to have intentionally made a lot of use of the raven, as ravens are a symbol of bravery and intelligence to the American Indians as well as to members of other cultures. Other favorite symbols used in his work included feathers, hummingbirds, smoke and wind. These symbols helped to give his work somewhat of a mystical quality, imparting special attributes to his subjects. Howell became expert in the use of monotypes (The Collectors Guide, 2002). This is a very simple form of print making since it req
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lakota Sioux, Discussion Reunion, English Irish-American, Interpretation Howell's, Collectors Guide, Iowa Howell, Howell Reunion, According French, American Indians, Mexico Howell, french 1997, lakota sioux, american indian, 1997 117, april 2003, french 1997 117, available on-line, april 2003 __________, 17 april, 1997 smith, american indians, 2003 __________, 17 april 2003, tribute masters southwest, 1997 117 howell,
Approximate Word count = 1215
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Frank Howell