“Fire Buffalos”
by Anthony Chee Emerson, Navajo
Alternate Views 
Description: Oil-based inks painted on Plexiglas, then transferred to paper. Japanese origami papers pasted on after process.
About this Award: Awarded for high quality in craftsmanship in painting or drawing.
Jurors’ Comments:
Mark Bahti: I don’t think it was necessarily the intent but we all bring our own history to viewing art—the Japanese buyers in American art, particularly jewelry more than anything else, are having a huge influence among some of the artists. They’re there and they’re shaping the market in significant ways. So whether he intended it or not, that’s how I kind of relate to it. I like that he’s stepping beyond the boundaries of what he’s done before. And he seems to have technical control of what he’s done. He’s not floundering—I’ve seen enough bad monoprints.
Susan Folwell: I think it’s well handled. The imagery, I don’t know… I’m not sure what I’d do differently though. I don’t have any suggestions. It’s beautiful. Technically it’s a beautiful piece.
Martin Kim: This captured my attention because of the complexity of the process the handling of the ink as well as the handling of the paint and background. It drew all the judges’ attention for its technical excellence