"Black Elk" TVE Painting

Black Elk - 20 x 16

The Painting That Changed Everything

"The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers."
– Black Elk
This is the painting that changed the course of my life.
One night, I had a dream. In it, I walked a path lined with canopies—each one a booth filled with creations from Native artisans, alive with beauty and meaning. The path felt sacred, though I didn’t fully understand why. That dream continued, carrying me through a journey too layered to fully share here. But I remember waking suddenly to the crash of thunder. The Arizona monsoon rains were streaking down my window. And in that quiet, charged moment, I reached for my paintbrush.
Back then, painting was how I processed the world. It helped me think deeply without forcing answers—like a kind of prayer through motion. That morning, I chose to paint upside down, knowing it would demand all of my attention. The more I focused on each brushstroke, the more clearly I could hear the message forming behind the image.
When it was finished, I understood what Creator was showing me.
I left school. I left my job. I answered a call—not to a career, but to walk alongside my community, to witness, to record, and to be part of the stories that needed remembering.
I chose to paint Black Elk, because as I awoke from the dream, his words were there—echoes I had heard before, now ringing with undeniable clarity. This painting is not just a portrait. It’s a threshold. A response. A beginning.
This is where the journey began.

New Painting by Lehi ThunderVoice. 

- Lehi ThunderVoice