About Me

ABOUT ME

I was born in Phoenix Arizona in 1955 to Chester and Geneva Cassa Manuel and was raised on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. I am a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, of the "Red Jagged Rock Protruding Darkly" clan. The clan originated from one of the two main Apache groupings situated in the Southwestern United States. This group included the Aravaipas, Pinalenos, Coyoteros, White Mountain and Tonto Apaches. and other local bands. These groups are situated on what is now the San Carlos and Fort Apache Indian Reservations in east central Arizona and the smaller Tonto Apache Indian Reservation near Payson Arizona.

My art education includes studies in Junior High, High School and College. In 1976, I enrolled at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe New Mexico and received an Associate of Fine Arts Degree in 1978. I continued studies in two-dimensional design at the Atlanta College of Art in Atlanta Georgia. I attended courses in Wildlife and Business Management at the Gila Pueblo College and the University of Phoenix in Arizona.

I never had a strong impression about what to express when I initially began oil painting in my earlier years. Maybe I was lacking confidence or my views were restricted by my perception of creativity when it involved my artwork, nevertheless I remained within the boundaries of duplicating the realistic styles of the old Masters, ironically it continues to be my comfort zone unto this day.

My encompassing survey of the art world began when I enrolled at the IAIA in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Although I was not the resilient student in the Art History classes, the slide presentations of art through time is probably the most overwhelming element of influence contributed to broadening my perspective of realism. Several years ago I recognized that while realism can never be attributed to any one artist but it is one channel of many techniques used for depicting an expression through art, there is the possibility of emphasizing a unique expression in realism that is uncompromisingly genuine when focusing on historical content. You become the storyteller, the advocate, and security and production director of that specific scene of a particular event in time. It could be the argument of every art piece of every style in two dimensional designs since the discovery of the first cave paintings, but to catch the inspiration and transfer it to a realistic scene for the first time in the history of mankind, and induce the viewer to wander into an environment inhabited by the original occupiers from a western era gone by, I feel is justifiably a focal point the artist can claim as his/her own. The line of reasoning of practical rendering is the factual event blending into the depiction.

As a Native American realist artist, not so much of heritage but ethnicity I feel is the stronger point of illustration where I draw the strength of my subjects. Heritage diminishes or changes with time and events. Ethnicity on the other hand is inbred in the characteristic instincts of a race of people practicing the wisdom and knowledge attained for basic survival of that immediate environment. Therefore collective information for the contents of my paintings is not generated from the teachings of the existing elders or medicine men or leaders of my tribe, but instead they are my research in the chronicles of the Anglo authors who recorded the history of my people as it occurred. I cannot attest to the basis of our philosophies, religions, customs, traditions, stories or legends carried down from generation to generation, but from my observation, corresponding with the diminishing of our language as time evolves, they appear to change from one generation to another among the Apache bands of the San Carlos Apache Reservation.

My Art is about the beauty of being a Native Christian, specifically Apache. Life as I see it in the simplest terms of the spiritual awareness that surrounds me when climbing the hills and hearing an elk bugle, watching an eagle soaring through the canyon, walking through a forest, listening to a stream; you know, the connection with nature, being mesmerized and humbled by all creation and God is all around you. One does not tire from being in the presence of the Creator. I believe this is what my forefathers fought and many died for.

Maybe it's far fetch that I should associate my art to my christian belief. But I am positive that it would not be possible had it not been for the intervention from a higher source that can be no other than my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I’ve been sober now 26 years, a virtually impossible achievement I never could’ve done alone and it was truly a miracle that occurred in my life that night in December of 1983 when I received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I was battling suicidal thoughts for months and the urge just seemed to get stronger until I decided to carry out the compulsion. Wrestling with the thoughts of being a failure at everything I tried to commit myself too and being raised as an orphan since the age of 3 tipped the scales for me . I never saw my parents, they died when I was young and the shame of being without drove me into drinking very young. It was a terrible covering but there wasnt much else to hide behind. What stopped me from carrying out my own demise was remembering reading the life story of the late William Marrion Branham when I was a teenager, You will have to read it for yourself and then you'll understand what I mean. But I’ve never had a craving for alcohol since that night at the Alter. The desire for it disappeared at that instant. I attend church regularly now and it’s all I have that I’m truly committed too. Learning about life's morals and principals through God’s word, how He moves on my behalf and His soon coming has been the basis that has given me the desire to know the Lord more than ever before. He’s gotten me out of life’s difficulties and trial’s so many times, even those that I’ve created out of my stupidity, too many of those to count. I'm just content and thankful to be alive and I give Him all the credit... I came so close.

My work has been displayed in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. The statistical evaluation for my website reveals the International exposure of my artwork in 53 countries include: Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chili, China, Columbia, Côte d’Ivoire (Republic of),Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad, Taiwan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vietnam and Yugoslavia.

In recent years my originals have been juried in several of the major Art competitions. In 1993 I participated in the International annual Arts For The Parks juried competition held in Jackson Hole, WY and was recognized and selected in the top 100 paintings from among 1,500 entries. For my participation in this show, I also received the Award of Excellence from the National Park Academy of the Arts.

The highlight of my artistic career to date: has been to have a couple of my pieces to hang in the same exhibition alongside the masterpieces of renowned Western artists George Phippen, Ray Swanson, Robert Shufeldt, CM Russell, Frederick Remington, Olaf Weighorst, Howard Terpning and others.