COMMUNITY PROFILE SATISFYING HIS SOUL Native American Artist Speaks Out Through His Work BY GILES CLASEN PAINTER JERRY RAEL has something to say, and he uses his painting as his platform to share his thoughts. Rael paints abstract images of Native men and women. They are often on horseback in beautiful landscapes. He said he sees his work as a celebration of his Indigenous and Chicano heritage. “I’ve always been pretty fascinated with the Native American culture, even as a young kid. We used to play a lot of Cowboys and Indians, and I used to always want to be the Indian,” Rael said. At face value, Rael’s paintings display a lost era of the American West. His work often utilizes Native or Western forms riding on horses through Southwestern scenes. Rael uses positive and negative space in his images to explore the mysticism of the natural world. The faces of his subjects are indistinguishable and are often facing away from the viewer and walking into the unknown. His images invite the viewer to explore meaning beyond their beauty. Rael said that he intentionally leaves his paintings open to interpretation. To Rael, his work is a protest of the past and present treatment of the Native community. “There’s a lot of messages in [my paintings] that are kind of subliminal,” Rael said. “Certain people are able to grasp the meaning. Some others, they see just the beauty of the image, and that’s okay. But other people, they can read a little bit deeper into it and see the story behind the painting.” Rael’s style and art grew out of a series of coincidences. He studied art at the University of New Mexico, but painting became more of a hobby while he taught in Denver Public Schools and raised a family. When Rael retired, his wife pushed him to start painting again. A chance encounter with a friend led Rael to join the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1. This isn’t a smoke-filled drinking establishment many associate with the VFW. Instead, the Post, located on Santa Fe Blvd., is dedicated to healing and is a place for military veterans to develop as artists and sell their art. Rael has thrived with the support he receives at the VFW by winning local and national awards. He sells many paintings each month, and institutions like the Children’s Hospital in Colorado Springs have purchased his work. According to Rael, he tries to make his work accessible to any collector creating small pieces that sell for $200 and larger works that sell for $2,000. “I paint, foremost, to satisfy my spirit, my soul,” Rael said. “I know I can’t satisfy everybody. I don’t try to. I do this for me, to share my visions and thoughts. But I am always thinking about what is likely to be received well and sell.” When younger, Rael painted much more intricately detailed images. As Rael aged his hands became crippled by arthritis making it impossible for Rael to focus on detailed imagery. CREDIT: GILES CLASEN 8 DENVER VOICE July 2024 CREDIT: GILES CLASEN CREDIT: GILES CLASEN
9 Publizr Home