(1951- 2023) J.D. Challenger is not simply a story teller, but a story catcher. As one of the most significant contemporary painters of the American southwest, his majestic and powerful pictures tell a visual history of his country from the perspective of one who grew up and lived in close proximity to Indigenous communities in the central plains area. Challenger successfully paints the traditions, rituals, culture and heritage of Native America. This makes visible what to many may be invisible. With skillful brushstrokes, use of pigment, and light and shadow, the artist creates images that captivate the viewer. J.D. Challenger's paintings are not only marks in time, but marks through time - alive, spirited, and compelling.*