“Maternal love is in all races of mankind. Blackfoot girls married young and looked forward to becoming mothers. Much like today, children played house and mimicked adult life,” says Z.S. Liang of Beneath the Cottonwoods. “A Blackfoot mother would use a cradleboard, traditional across most Native American tribes, to protect and carry her baby. Cradleboards were made from curved and cross-braced willow-wands covered with buckskin and decorated with beadwork. An apron with lacing held the baby in. Notice the beaded umbilical cord amulet hanging on the cradle, a talisman for the child. The snake-shaped amulet is for a boy and a lizard form is for a girl.”
“One essential feature of any cradleboard is the large frame surrounding the baby’s head. This frame protected the baby from falls or swinging branches of trees as families moved through the woods. A carrying strap passed around the mother’s shoulders and chest so she could wear it. This strap also allowed the cradleboard to be hung from a saddle pummel or even a convenient tree. Cradleboards had the advantage of allowing babies to see what is going on around them and to participate in family life.”
The art of Z.S. Liang is regarded as some of the most important and beautiful created today. Museums and collectors buy his original paintings before the public has a chance to even see them. But you do have the opportunity to posses and enjoy in your home the art of the most significant artists working today. Let us show you how much a Greenwich Workshop Fine Art Canvas such as Beneath the Cottonwoods brightens your home with the best in art.

Z.S. Liang continues to be one of the most important artists painting the history of the American West today. His track record of sold out original shows and Fine Art Editions attest to the regard for the painter today and the perception of the potential for his work tomorrow. He has a particular knack for portraying intimate details of Native American life, even when his canvases are epic in scale.
“Since early in the 17th century,” begins Liang, “when the horse was introduced to the American Indian on the northern Plains, their life was changed forever. The use of the horse for buffalo hunting made the hunt much more efficient and provided the people with a rich bounty. This exuberant scene shows a summer day in the Blackfeet band camp during the 1870s, after the buffalo scouts have located a large herd nearby. The men gather to ready their buffalo horses, while women excitedly prepare packhorses, travois and meat bags for the coming chase! With this excitement also comes concern, for running the wild herds over the broken country of the Western prairies held a high degree of danger for the mounted hunter. In the painting, a grandfather ties an eagle feather on his grandson’s horsetail as a blessing of safety before the run begins.”
The original of 'Grandpa’s Blessing' is a substantial work, with a great deal of its impact coming from its size, intimate relationships portrayed on an epic scale.

Zhou Shu Liang continues to amaze. Always a powerhouse painter, he continues to perfect his subject and style through historical research of Native American cultures through reading, travel, interaction with contemporary Natives and improving his painting skills.
We can’t imagine a more perfectly composed, action-packed SmallWorks™ by Z.S. Liang than this new Giclée Canvas Edition. “I'm trying to make my work more painterly and simplify the shapes,” says Liang. “It's an ongoing learning journey." Collector’s of Z.S. Liang can’t miss Hot Chase, a stellar SmallWork™. If you’re just becoming aware of Liang, this is a great place to start: affordable and quintessential Liang.

“In a society that honored warfare as life’s central activity, to be chosen as a sash bearer for the Lakota Nation was considered a great honor, reserved only for one who had proven his courage and bravery in battle,” explains, Z.S. Liang. “Bravery was always stressed and was considered one of the greatest virtues among all of the Plains Tribes.”
Sash-wearers were members of the Miwa‘tani or Mandan Society. The owl feather headdress was unique to this tribal fraternity and is associated with an owl-being that appeared in a vision of the founder. The wearers of the "society sashes" took on the obligation to stake themselves down to the ground with their sash during a desperate battle. They would fight in that spot until they were killed or until a fellow society member released them. This warrior has fastened his sash to the earth with a spear and he is positioned in the middle of the battlefield where he will fight to victory or death, encouraging his brothers to stand against their enemy.
The art of Z.S. Liang is regarded as some of the most important and beautiful paintings depicting the Native American experience being created today. His awards include David P. Usher Patrons’ Choice Award from the Masters of the American West Fine Art Exhibition and Sale and the President’s Award for Excellence from the Oil Painters of America.
You have your choice of Lakota Sasha Bearer, 1848 in either of two exclusive Fine Art Edition formats. First, as an oversize 30" x 45" MasterWork™ Canvas in an elite edition of only 10 or as a traditionally sized 22" x 33" canvas in a select edition of merely 35. Museums and collectors lined up for the chance to own this impressive Z.S. Liang original painting. Now you, too, have the opportunity to posses and enjoy this significant work of art. Let The Greenwich Workshop brighten your home with the best in contemporary western art.

The original works of Z.S. Liang are quickly becoming unattainable. Offerings of his new paintings are, more often than not, handled by draw or silent bid. At this year’s Masters of the American West at the Autry National Center, collectors never even had the chance to bid on his silent-auction entry. That painting won the Purchase Award for 2011, so the museum had already secured it for their collection. The work of this great artist is in high demand, and that demand is only going to grow. No other Western artist is tracking in the market like Liang. And while the originals are hard to come by, his work is attainable in Fine Art Editions from The Greenwich Workshop.
It is paintings such as Lakota Warriors, Little Big Horn, June 25, 1876 that have collectors taking notice. Power and strength of composition and a master’s brushwork combine with a storyteller’s passion for the untold experiences of Native Americans.
“During late 1875 and early 1876,” begins Liang, “young warriors were slipping away from their agencies to join bands of non-treaty Indians in the country east of the Bighorn River. American government authorities, in response to reports of this, ordered all Lakota bands to return to their reservation by February 1, or face the consequences. Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and the other leaders not only ignored the order, they were determined to fight for their freedom.
“By mid-June, Sitting Bull and his followers were camped along the Little Bighorn River. And the U.S. Army was on their way to force the Indians to return. On June 25, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and approximately 250 Seventh Cavalry solders attacked this Indian village. They found themselves confronted by an enormous encampment thronging with furiously committed warriors. They were quickly surrounded and annihilated in what American history would refer to as ‘Custer’s Last Stand.’
“Known to the Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, this painting focuses on the combined tribes celebrating their victory. The main figure is a Lakota warrior. He is holding, as his trophy, a Seventh Cavalry 35 Star guidon. (This unit marker became official in 1862 and was still in use when Custer rode west.) This flag and the spear point of the pole, specific to that time period, were provided to me by a good friend and Civil War historian from his personal collection.”
Z.S. Liang’s Lakota Warriors is available as both a Fine Art Giclée Canvas and Fine Art Giclée Paper. Both are produced to The Greenwich Workshop’s and Liang’s exacting standards specifically for collectors like you. Remember, the only Z.S. Liang you could possess that’s finer would be the original work of art itself.

Liang Painted Robe for Powder and Ball, Musselshell Valley, Montana, 1840 It’s autumn, two Blackfoot hunters have come to this wilderness outpost with a prime painted buffalo robe and an elk hide to trade for powder and ball.
White men who were drawn to the frontier were quick studies and adept survivors. The man holding the robe runs this Musselshell Valley trading post. He carries out his negotiations with the few words of Blackfoot he speaks and sign language. He has surrounded himself with other fundamental tools of negotiation in this part of the world. Next to him stands a large and robust woodsman whose physical power could be crucial in this dangerous environment. Sitting on the wooden barrow is a well experienced hunter. The loaded gun in his arm and a pistol in his belt are ready for any sudden threat.
Safety is not the concern of these Blackfoot men, trade is. Both hunters are wearing capotes which have been made from Hudson Bay Company blankets. The older of the two leads their side of the negotiation. From his body language it is apparent that he has had experience in trading with the white people. His less experienced partner waits quietly and carefully observes.
A painted hide held a higher value to the Indians because it might depict a warrior's heroism or record important events in the history of a tribe. The Blackfoot is doing his best to carefully communicate the value of this robe, hoping to make a good deal. Fall is an important hunting season, and the additional ammunition this trade can secure will help to provide for the long cold Montana winter ahead.
Painted Robe for Powder and Ball, Musselshell Valley, Montana, 1840 was unveiled at the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction in 2009. The enormous painting (42h" x 64w") was the talk of the show and sold for $345,000!
You can be one of the select few to have the opportunity own this Z.S. Liang work of art. This massive fine art edition is a significant collector opportunity. A MasterWork™ edition of 25 Fine Art Giclée Canvases, sized at an impressive 46w" x 36h", is also being made available. Both editions of this beautiful canvas are sure to Sell Out quickly.

Once introduced, the horse quickly became central to Great Plains Indians’ life. They were a measure of wealth and, interestingly, an individual’s prestige was judged not so much by how many horses he could accumulate, but by the number of horses he could give away. Horses served as universal currency and horse stealing was part of the marking of time. (Crazy Horse, the Oglala Lakota, was born "in the fall of the year in which the band to which he belonged, the Oglala, stole One Hundred Horses.” Crow Dog, another Lakota subchief, was born at Horse Stealing Creek in what was then referred to as Montana Territory.) Horse stealing was a rite of passage. A boy on his first war party was given a juvenile nickname, but after he had stolen his first horse or killed an enemy, he was given a distinguished name.
“This small horse raiding party of Lakota has just successfully captured a bunch of good horses from their neighboring enemy, the Crow,” says Z.S. Liang. When pressed for more, the artist demurs. “The viewer is meant to create their own story about what has happened,” says Liang, “Some of the best stories are those not told.”
Among the many awards Liang has received are the 2009 David P. Usher Patrons’ Choice Award at the Masters of the American West Fine Art Exhibition and Sale and the 2005 President’s Award for Excellence, Oil Painters of America. He set a new, personal auction record at the 2009 Coeur d’Alene Art Auction for The Painted Robe.

The Great Plains grizzly bear has been extinct for over 100 years but when this species was abundant, a grizzly claw necklace was a coveted goal and prized possession. The wearer was regarded as brave and as one who possessed great medicine. The number of claws signified the number of grizzly bears a hunter had confronted. Only the front claws were used so twenty claws meant the wearer had met with at least two grizzlies, no small feat since the grizzly could take a bullet (or two!) and still keep charging. Of course a necklace could also be won in battle, as the reward for killing an enemy who wore it.
The claws would be mounted on a core which was then covered in otter fur. When Plains grizzlies became rare, necklaces were made from Rocky Mountain grizzlies or the claws would be carved from elk antler, a painstaking and exacting process that earned nearly as much respect as trophy claws from a bear killing.
Sold for $42,500, this Z.S. Liang painting was the top-seller at the 2010 National Museum of Wildlife Art’s largest annual fundraiser.

It is a good day for trade as a warm September sun adds to the genial quality of this Plains gathering. From the early 19th century to the 1870s, trade for furs and hides was a lucrative business. Traders and bands of Plains Tribes would gather at prearranged locations and exchange tools, cloth, blankets, finery and guns for the Indians’ pelts and hides. This group of Indians is well known to the traders, as the chief trader has been married to the sister of this band’s chief for several years. Other members of the trading party have Indian wives as well, so a familial atmosphere of mutual trust and friendship prevails.
Z.S. Liang’s "Trading with the Blackfeet, Montana Territory, 1860" is regarded as one of his finest works to date. At the 2009 Master’s of the American West Fine Art Exhibition and Sale, where it set a record sale price for a Liang original, the work received the David P. Usher Patrons’ Choice Award, an honor bestowed on the painting by collectors attending the event.

Years ago, Z.S. Liang found himself at the Plimoth Plantation and Wampanoag Homesite in Plymouth, MA. The Wampanoag men and women Liang befriended educated him in the history and ways of their people, an experience he would later describe as "invaluable. I feel so fortunate to be invited to particpate in the community. It was the best introduction to Native Americans I could have."
In addition to teaching Liang about the customs of their people, the men and women at the Wampanoag Homesite were happy to model for him in their traditional dress as they went about their daily business.
The young warrior in this painting, with his turtle-shell medicine bag and wooden war cup, is defending his home against intruders. To this day, the Wampanoag people must defend themselves and their property from further encroachment, both in court and at home. "I paint these people to raise awareness about their bravery and their troubles. I hope that my art can somehow repay them for the kindnesses they did for me."