You know a painting is special when it’s the piece in an exhibition that the collectors just stand in front of for a long period of time and simply don’t say word. And, they keep coming back to do it again and again. If interrupted, they’ll return to it, intent on having the opportunity to enjoy a great work of art. And in case we hadn’t picked up on that at the Masters of the American West art show this past February, the phone calls coming in to ask us, “When are you going to release it as a Fine Art Edition?” were certainly another clue that demand would be high for this particular giclée canvas.
The winner of the 2011 Thomas Moran Award for Painting, Among the Spirits of the Long-Ago People is a magnificent work. Terpning begins with a simple common premise; the grandeur of nature can be sacred. He relates that emotion not by creating a landscape painting, but by focusing on the reverence these men have for what they see. The petroglyphs show that this is an ancient understanding. These men knew it to be so in their time, just as we do today. Their silence, as they take in the wonder about them, is not unlike that of the collectors we saw view this work for the first time.
“Petroglyphs on rock formations indicate that the visitors are in a spiritual place,” describes Howard Terpning, “a place blessed by the long-ago people. Numerous locations like this exist throughout Montana and Wyoming, sometimes high on a mountain with a spectacular view of Mother Earth. For centuries, Indian people have made the journey to these sacred places to give thanks for their blessings and to pray for success in hunting and in battle. Today, they continue to visit these sacred places as their forebears did, leaving small pieces of trade cloth and handmade objects decorated with beads or feathers as gifts for the gods.”
Among the Spirits of the Long-Ago People is available as a Fine Art Canvas. At 33” x 35” it is an impressive work that will majestically fill any large space. Our carefully crafted giclée canvas will give you the experience of owning this great work of art for significantly less than the price the original captured in February. Also available is a more moderately sized and wonderfully priced Fine Art Giclée Paper. Both editions, truly faithful reproductions of the original, are signed by Howard Terpning and numbered.

These are four Shoshoni who volunteered to be cavalry scouts. They liked adventure and when everything else was disappearing in their culture, they opted for this as an alternative. They were very, very good at it. The painting shows the transition - an attempt at assimilation - from one culture to the other. Of course, it never worked.
There were regiments in the Wyoming/Montana area who used Shoshoni scouts but this flag is of an undesignated regiment. The same is true of the location; a lot of landscape would have detracted from the purpose of the painting so the background was kept simple to enable the viewer to concentrate on these four men.

Elevating the nobility of the human spirit defines the fine art of Howard Terpning. Through intuition and insight what begins as a simple portrait becomes a masterful representation of Native American dignity. Hawk Feathers is not this Northern Plains Indian’s name, but rather, the adornment he wears in his hair. The hunting ability of the hawk was highly respected and its feathers were considered good medicine. Nearly every North American tribe used hawk feathers as a badge of honor and they were worn a good part of the time. This tribal member is also shown wearing his buffalo robe. Unlike Europeans, the plains people fashioned their robes with the fur on the inside and the smooth side of the hide facing out.
Hawk Feathers is a classic SmallWork by Howard Terpning that sits side by side with any full-sized work of art. SmallWork Editions are the most affordable way to collect the Giclee canvases of Howard Terpning. Only by owning the original could you possess a finer piece of art, so don’t let this gem disappear before you order yours!

Inspired by the artist’s love of his own granddaughters, this elegant portrait of a devoted grandmother is distinctive within Terpning’s work because of its focus on the feminine nature of tribal life. Passing Into Womanhood, Digging in at Sappa Creek and Teachings of My Grandmother are other Sold Out editions in this category.

"As the title would indicate, I wanted to show someone who has great strength of character. The Plains Indians' leaders and holy men had incredible wisdom. That's the feeling I was trying to impart. This man's face displays strength of character through his expression and features.
"I like working with charcoal. It's a totally different medium - you're drawing, not painting. It's strictly in black and white and since you don't have the use of colors, your use of values has to carry the picture. You can't rely on colors to help you out. If you keep the values simple, the image will be stronger and more effective."

A New York Times article on Western art and the annual Coeur d’Alene Art Auction in 2007 had this to say about the artist: “Howard Terpning just may be the most successful living American artist you’ve never heard of.” The auctioneer Peter Stremmel concurred. “Everyone is after Terpning’s work. They see him as the next Russell or Remington,” (referring to Charles Russell and Frederic Remington, the two most famous Western art painters from the end of the 19th century). Several of Terpning’s paintings had already broken the million dollar mark and his record sale price has climbed since to $1,456,000. Additionally, it’s getting harder to find a serious art collector who doesn’t recognize his name.
“In 'Prospectors Among the Blackfeet,' Blackfeet warriors find evidence of intrusion by white men: a prospector’s gold pan and other debris carelessly left behind in a shallow stream,” says the artist. “The Blackfeet were among the most implacable in their enmity toward white trespassers, first the beaver trappers and later the prospectors. And for good reason. Blackfeet had only to look at their neighbors, the Sioux and Cheyenne, where the discovery of gold in the treaty-protected Black Hills led to the final, crushing military campaigns against them.”

The Apache, like most Plains Indian tribes, made horse stealing into a high art. Horses were captured from other tribes and from the white men and their soldiers. The introduction of the horse forever transformed everything about a Native culture that previously lived only on foot; how they hunted, traveled and even competed for honors within their tribes. “A captured cavalry horse that had been ridden by a captain is a bigger prize than one that belonged to an enlisted man,” Howard Terpning says. “The theft or capture of this horse will bring more bragging rights.”
This lone Apache, armed and confident, may be cooling off his horse, or hiding his tracks, as he cuts through the hot, dry territory in the Southwest. “We can only imagine how this Apache warrior was able to obtain this mount,” muses Terpning. “The title, The Captain’s Horse, hints at enough of a story to trigger our imagination and let the viewer draw their own conclusions.”
Howard Terpning Editions featuring the Apache tribe are among the most highly desired by collectors. The Captain’s Horse is also unique in its physical size and price point. At 16" x 13" it fits well in places that a larger Terpning cannot, but is not as diminutive in its impact or size as a miniature. The $345 price point is attractive for a Terpning as well. Set in an edition of only 200, there’s a good chance that someone can steal away your copy of The Captain’s Horse.

In the mid-1870s, the U. S. Army often employed Crow scouts to help patrol the western territories. The work had its dangers but there were also days of quiet routine. This is a scene that might have been repeated many times during those years: soldiers and scouts pausing to rest under the midday sun. The scout sitting on the ground has unfolded an elk hide and is recounting his war deeds painted there. The officer is listening beside him and the trooper in the background wear civilian hats. Military issue tended not to hold up to the rigors of army life. The scout wears a civilian shirt, as Native Americans commonly did at that time, as well as his war medicine amulet and necklace.