Nahmi-A-Piah Art ‎

NiCole Hatfield Comanche/Kiowa artist began painting at age 15 as a way to combat feelings of sadness and depression. For her, painting is medicine in which she incorporates traditional stories about unity, spirituality, and connection to the earth, as well as phrases in her tribal language, in the hopes that younger tribal members will be inspired to keep language alive. Her portraits are often inspired by historical photographs of tribal people, especially women, whose inner strength and beauty is represented in bright colors and muscular brushwork. More recently, she has been creating ledger art using colored pencils on antique paper. NiCole is originally from Apache, Oklahoma, and now lives in Norman. She is largely self-taught but attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for one semester, where she began working in a range of mediums, though her preferred medium remains acrylic. In recent years she has forayed into mural art; her work can be seen on the Lacy Pioneer Building in Anadarko, Oklahoma, and at the Thunderbird Casino near Norman, among other locations. She travels throughout the country for art fairs as well as special events and fundraisers for Indian Country, including the Native American Student Program of the University of California in Riverside, California.