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Scroll down the page to see photos of some of Norma's paintings.
NORMA HOWARD - CHOCTAW ARTIST
Norma Howard is a self-taught artist; she is a native of Oklahoma, having been
born and raised near Stigler, Oklahoma. Norma Howard owns and retains the copyright
on all the paintings that appear on this page, they may not be reproduced in any fashion without her written consent.
We thank Rusty Lang and the Choctaw web site located at Rootsweb for the use of the
following information (it was necessary to import Rusty's work in order for Norma's paintings and the information accompanying
them to appear in the correct format). The Choctaw
site is owned by Rusty Lang, this statement appeared on his site: "This site may not be duplicated in any manner without consent. All rights
reserved. Commercial use of material within this site is strictly prohibited. copyright 2000 by Rusty Lang"
Please click on the original link to this information about Norma:
The following is quoted from the Choctaw web site: "Norma Howard is a Choctaw-Chickasaw Indian. She
began drawing at an early age, using the crayons her father would buy and later taught herself to paint using watercolors.
Today, the images that Norma paints are a combination of personal reflection and Native American heritage.
"A central theme in all of Howard’s painting is family. She had seven brothers and sisters
and her family often struggled against poverty on the same parcel of land that her mother, Ipokni, homesteading after walking
almost 500 miles from Mississippi to Oklahoma in 1903.
"In spite of financial hardships, however, Norma’s personal memories of her family tend
to be joyful and exuberant. Whether painting images of youth play or remembering sharing the same bed with four sisters and
her mother, the artist always manages to depict a deep sense of commitment and affection.
"Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa now displays one of her paintings, "Gathering Corn," in its permanent collection.
"She lives in Stigler, Haskell County, Oklahoma."
The following biographical information about Norma was found on the Blue Rain Gallery
website:
"Self-taught watercolorist Norma Howard touches the heart with poignant stories of her Choctaw and Chickasaw
ancestors in Oklahoma. She transports you to an earlier time by capturing moments of everyday life - a grandmother stitching
a star quilt on a porch, or a boy fishing with a cane pole at a cypress-filled lake. Her style recalls the pointillism of
the Impressionists, but instead of dots, she painstakingly layers tiny, basket-weave brush strokes to produce a vibrant depth
of color rarely seen with watercolors. Howard, who started by painting miniatures, has moved to larger canvases that demand
countless strokes to achieve her trademark richness of color and detail.
“These subjects about how people survived
in hard times and in everyday life that every tribe can relate to, wherever they lived. People tell me it’s the details
that draw them into my paintings and capture their feelings. My inspiration will always be to tell my ancestors’ story
and honor the way they lived,” says Howard."
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"Dinner on the Ground"
"These dinners were held outside after a family or church gathering.
The wooden tables were generally full of all kinds of food. The boy and girl at the end of the table have their eyes
on the pie." --Norma Howard
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"Going to Town"
"After a week of work, it's Saturday morning and the father is
taking his family into town. The family all loads up in the wagon. The mother and father discuss the grocery list
while the kids enjoy the ride." --Norma Howard
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"Kids in the Field"
"One day, I heard a noise coming from the tall grassy fields behind
my house. At first I thought it might be a pack of dogs, but then I realized that it was a group of small children playing
some kind of game, holding hands and making sweeping gestures with their arms, seeing me they flashed a wide grin and began
to wave happily. I have managed to capture the love and happiness that we shared so many times as we ran carefree through
the grassy fields." --Norma Howard
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"Pickin Cotton"
"My family and neighbors raised cotton and picked for wages.
Cotton was a good cash crop and came in the fall before winter set in." --Norma Howard
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"Choctaw Village" depicts a Choctaw family living around the Mississippi Period. The corn was the main source of food, along
with a summer garden, and a granary was set high on a post for the storage of vegetables. The huts were made from canes
and covered with mud. This painting won "Best of Division" and "Best Traditional" at the 1998 Santa Fe Indian Market.
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"Making Baskets"
"When I was a child my mother spent many happy hours on my grandmother's
back porch as grandma and her sister made baskets for the family's use. The baskets were made from cane that was split
with knives." --Norma Howard
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"Raccoon Dance"
"At the beginning of this dance, the boys and girls hold hands
on musical cue. Each boy pursues a girl and runs around through the other dancers. The "chase" portion is an imitation
of raccoons at play in the cornfield." --Norma Howard
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"Summer Evening Cooking" was created as the poster
for the Tulsa Indian Art Festival in 2000. It is typical of Howard's work, depicting Indian women and children in a
quiet, almost nostalgic scene.
"I remember that wherever my momma went, we kids were always hanging
around while she and the other women went about what they had to do." --Norma Howard
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"The Ballgame"
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"The Snake Dance" won first place at Santa Fe Indian
Market in 1997.
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Untitled is a landscape.
This watercolor painting was listed on AskART.com.
Howard, Norma Images at AskART.com
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Untitled
This watercolor painting was listed on the website of Blue Rain Gallery.
Howard, Norma - Blue Rain Gallery
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"Wash Day"
This watercolor painting was listed on the website of Blue Rain Gallery.
Howard, Norma - Blue Rain Gallery
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Untitled
This watercolor painting was listed on the website of Blue Rain Gallery.
Howard, Norma - Blue Rain Gallery
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"Choctaw Social Dancers"
This watercolor painting was listed on the website of Blue Rain Gallery.
Howard, Norma - Blue Rain Gallery
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Details of "Choctaw Social Dancers"
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"Eating Watermelon"
This watercolor painting was listed on the website of Blue Rain Gallery.
Howard, Norma - Blue Rain Gallery
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Details of "Eating Watermelon"
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"Playtime"
This watercolor painting was listed on the website of Blue Rain Gallery.
Howard, Norma - Blue Rain Gallery
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Untitled is a small painting of a woman
in a cornfield.
This watercolor painting was listed on the website of Blue Rain Gallery.
Howard, Norma - Blue Rain Gallery
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Choctaw
Paintings
Norma
Howard, Rt. 2 Box 1687, Stigler, OK 74462
918-967-4314
918-967-0046
Inquire
about signed prints 1-800-256-9013
Fax
1-800-704-0161
Click on the following links to learn more about the life and art of Norma Howard, Choctaw artist...
Howard, Norma Images at AskART.com
Howard, Norma - Blue Rain Gallery
Howard, Norma - Four Painters Site
Norma Howard - Newsok article by Sharon Johnson
Norma Howard - Book Illustrator
Howard, Norma - Painting (photo)
Howard, Norma - Artist
Howard, Norma Images
Howard, Norma - Blue Rain Gallery
Howard, Norma - Four Painters Site
Norma Howard - Newsok article
Norma Howard - Book Illustrator
Howard, Norma - Painting (photo)
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