Allen Knows Gun is on his way to establishing himself in the art world.
The 23-year-old Haskell Indian Nations University student secured an agent in December, and has a clear vision of where his art comes from and where it is going.
Allen Knows Gun, a realist painter and Haskell Indian Nations University sophomore, was introduced to art at a young age by his father Ellis "Rabbit" Knows Gun. Allen says that he paints as often as possible and uses historic figures from the Crow tribe as his subjects. This particular painting, "Crazy Dog Wolf Scout," is Allen's most recent.
"Art's everywhere," he said. "It's in everything. It's in our buildings, our clothes, even our cars. It's a vision in the mind that we put into reality."
Knows Gun's acrylic paintings echo his Crow culture. His realistic paintings often portray warriors and reflect the research he has done on his culture. An example is "Bear Medicine," a striking portrait based on photographs of warriors taken in the 1800s.
"A warrior didn't put on any kind of paint," he said, explaining the painting's subject. "He would receive it during a vision quest to find his spirit animal, or it was handed down to him by an uncle or someone in the clan. The colors they would use would sometimes be on their shield or arrows so they could identify which buffalo they had killed."
Knows Gun said his creative process is spontaneous.
"I try to imagine a scene. I try to capture the emotion in an eye-catching way that's different from what anybody else does," he said. "I try to take (the viewer) back to how (the warrior) was. I try to make it as piercing as possible. Always in the back of my mind is that I want the painting to be unforgettable."
Knows Gun, who grew up in Crow Agency, Mont., was introduced to art at an early age: His father is Ellis "Rabbit" Knows Gun, an internationally known American Indian artist who works mainly in an impressionistic style.
"I would lock myself in my room, turn on the music and do my art," he said. "I was mainly doing it for myself and to prove to myself I could do the artwork."
By age 15, he was creating photo-realistic works, even though he had never taken an art class. One day, his younger brother, Joe, mentioned his art abilities to the high school art teacher. The teacher, Hector Alvarado, encouraged Allen Knows Gun to enroll in his classes, but the teen-ager declined.
"When I was about 18 as a senior, I finally went into the class," he said.
Alvarado told Knows Gun that he "had the touch" and that he wanted to teach him as much as possible.
"He taught me ways of painting like realism and impressionism, different medium like oils, acrylics and watercolors, ceramics," he said.
About two years ago, Knows Gun began experimenting with American Indian images.
"I was reading some stories about war parties and stealing horses that influenced me, because no one from our culture was painting the scenes. All you can do is imagine them."
After he graduated from high school, Knows Gun enrolled at Haskell, where he has played forward on the basketball team and will earn an associate degree in general studies this spring. He is not enrolled in art classes, but when he goes home he studies with Kevin Red Star, a prominent Crow painter.
"I paint as often as I can. I sell a lot of paintings," he said. "I feel like there's no time. Time to me is artwork in the process of being made. It's almost like something takes over and like time doesn't exist anymore."
Knows Gun's works are on display at the Federal Credit Union in Billings, Mont. He hopes to exhibit in more shows and venues and to own a gallery within two years.
"I can see I am still getting better as far as style and subjects," he said. "I try to be consistent. What people are looking for in an artist is a distinct style. If you can put your paintings up (with others) and can spot yours, you've made your mark.
"I feel like with the gift I have that it would be selfish to quit painting my culture. People from my tribe would like to see them out there. People have told me I'm like a representative of my tribe as far as the culture goes."
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