Jesse Raine Littlebird (Laguna/Kewa Pueblo) is an artist, painter, writer and film director with a passion for telling stories that inspire personal and community action to be the change you want to see in the world. Storytelling through the medium of painting and film is a vital part of life for Jesse with his Native American heritage deeply rooted in the oral tradition culture of his Pueblo Indian lineage and growing up in a creative household of art, film and story. He is a board member of Hamaatsa, an indigenous-learning commune non-profit and a Sundance Institute Full Circle Fellow.
Littlebird’s provocative paintings have gained recognition in the New Mexico art scene with several solo and group shows during 2018-2021
Littlebird says this about his painting, “My work is inspired by teachings, prophecies and stories that are common among Earthly rooted people. I delve into the inner workings of what makes up thoughts, choices and actions of humankind, past, present and future. Experiences that interest me are encounters with miracles and mass exchanges of energy that can be represented in a field of space and color. For example, what would a genocide look like with a vibrant composition of primary colors? How could the death of an eternal being be represented as sacred and placed on a pedestal, martyred and sainted by the artist?”