Big Bow said, "...When I was 10 years old, I saw Monroe Tsatoke in a room in a house at Rainy Mountain, looking in a mirrior and painting a self-portait of himself dressed in a big hat and beaded vest. I was so impressed, he was my inspiration of become an artist." "I believe in what I paint, it's old, it's original. I believe in the traditional style of painting. I use the stories of my grandparents. I believe in the old ways, this is what I want to show. My primary interest is to show people what I believe in as a Kiowa...I like to do things honestly and right if there is any way possible to do so...." Brochure, SPIM, 1990. Woody Big Bow was born Woodrow Wilson Big Bow on January 29, 1914 in Carnegie, Oklahoma. He lived most of his life in Yukon, Oklahoma, and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1939.Throughout his life, he worked as a set painter for western movies, and later did work as a contractor, builder, and painter. Some of the commissioned work he did included murals in the RCA Building in New York City, New York, and the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles, California. Some of Woody Big Bow's well known work includes the design he made for the Oklahoma 45th Infantry Division. It was a red and yellow thunderbird insignia. Snodgrass 1968 Big Bow had many unique attributes that showed up in his work. He was known for not wanting to paint feet; instead, he would paint grass or bushes where the feet of his subjects would be. Snodgrass, p.c. 1992 Woody Big Bow thoroughly enjoyed the artwork of other Southern Plain artists. He would often imitate their style, incorporating it into his own work. He died in July of 1988. |
