Acclaimed Native Artist, Kevin Red Star, Visits the Flathead

By Alyssa E. Kelly

Bright red paint splashes across the canvas, casually detailing the painting in a surprisingly silent room full of children. Kevin Red Star carefully works on his newest masterpiece as he explains to the children the meaning of the symbols he uses to decorate the shield. Sunny Day, (Red Star's daughter) smiles beautifully as she gathers the supplies for her father to use. They work harmoniously together. With a final splatter of white paint, Kevin's signature technique, the painting is finished and seems to come alive.

Kevin Red Star is an extraordinarily talented Crow artist from Lodge Grass. He has been painting for 40 years and was one of the first students to attend the American Indian Art Museum in the 60's. Red Star later won a scholarship to the San Francisco Art Institute. He furthered his education while being presented with numerous awards and honors for his work.

Red Star's mix of bright colors, over exaggerated interpretation of his subject, and splatter painting technique helped gain him national recognition. Original pieces of his collection are displayed in the Smithsonian Institution, C.M Russell Museum, Denver Art Museum, the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, as well as museums in China, Germany, Japan, and Belgium. Although he has earned a very successful career, Red Star stays true to what he holds important in his artwork. "I use a lot of symbolical designs that are traditional to Crow but I stay true to what I interpret." Explains Red Star; "I know the meaning behind the symbols in my work."

"I enjoy going to field pow-wows all over." Says Red Star. "I get a lot of my inspiration going to pow-wows and taking pictures. My whole family dances, I used to dance before I couldn't break dance anymore." He adds jokingly. "Some of my paintings are actual people or things that I've seen either on photos or in person. Some of it I draw from my own imagination."

An art class taught by Edna Lemm, art docent coordinator at Cherry Valley Elementary School studied Kevin Red Star and his work. The students then created paintings modeled from Red Star's collection using the splatter technique and enjoyed doing so. Michelle Mitchel, family resource specialist and social worker for district, noticed the successful lesson. "I thought it would be great for the students to meet the artist they'd been studying and hear what he had to say about his own pieces." Says Mitchel. So she contacted Red Star via the web and made arrangements for him to do a presentation for the younger students in the Polson district. "He taught me how to make splatters on my picture and make it look like something." Says Savannah Rodriguez, a 4th grade student who had enjoyed the presentation; "He made a whole painting so fast up there."

Red Star's paintings are very valuable, some original pieces selling up to $15,000. Prints of his work are seen all over different reservations and homes. Some of his prints are displayed at the Salish and Kootenai College, complex offices, as well as schools. He knows the value of his work and uses that for others advantage. He has donated various pieces of his work to different schools and causes he feels are important. Today, instructor Edna Lemm, alongside Michelle Mitchel, was able to have a print of their choice for the Cherry Valley Elementary courtesy of Red Star. "I've given a print to all the schools that I've visited these past three days." Says Red Star.

"I want you guys to stay in school and stick with whatever it is that you want to be, don't give up." Red Star says to the children during his final thoughts. "Listen to your teachers; they know because they've been there." The children leave the room holding their new creations proudly. "My daughter Sunny Sky, she's an artist too," he says, eyeing his daughter who is helping finish up with the last children. "I'm proud of that, and I encourage Sunny to go school. I want her to learn the fundamentals of art like I did. An education will get you far in life, talent is a waste without an education."

For more information on Kevin Red Star and his work you can look into his web site: www.kevinredstar.com. I would like to give a special thanks to Michelle Mitchel who helps bring Native culture into the schools and for making the presentation possible.