Squash Blossom

The beautiful Navajo girl in this painting was a dancer at a Pow Wow in Arizona. She is wearing a turquoise and silver squash blossom necklace. When Indian jewelry is mentioned, the symbol that often comes to mind is the squash blossom necklace. The Navajo word for the "squash blossom" bead is yo ne maze disya gi, which means simply "bead that spreads out." If you double click on the image it will enlarge and you can see the detail of the necklace.

This was my first figurative painting using oils. I also painted a different pose of her in watercolor. I may post that tomorrow.