Jonathan Warm Day Coming: Taos Pueblo Painted Stories

By Lenore Macdonald

In my work… I hope to help preserve a record of the traditional life of our

people and to educate those who know little of us, desiring that increased

knowledge and understanding will help all of us to live better with

one another and with the natural world.

— Jonathan Warm Day Coming

Taos Pueblo member, artist and writer Jonathan Warm Day Coming is finally getting his due.

His work invites viewers into the stories and traditions of the people who first populated and continue their traditions in the Taos valley.

A Taos Pueblo tribal member, painter, published author and accomplished illustrator, Warm Day Coming was born into an artistic family, and expresses himself through various art forms while practicing traditional farming on the Taos Pueblo. He draws inspiration from the rich history of his native land.

Incredibly, he had no formal art training, elaborating, “To be honest I consider myself a self-taught artist, and even though our mother passed on when my brother and I were still quite young, to this day I still find inspiration from her prolific art career.” He continued, “I still remember, as a child, watching our famed mother Eva Mirabal (native name “Eah-Ha-Wa”, meaning Fast Growing Corn) creating artwork at her drawing table. That scene is still etched into my memory.” He is also, very proudly, the father of two daughters, Carly Eva and Nuna Jade.

If you happen to be in Taos between January 14, 2025, and March 2, 2025, be sure to catch a special exhibition of his art, Taos Pueblo Painted Stories, at the Taos Art Museum’s Fechin Studio. Meet this living legend at the Exhibition Reception on January 18th from 1:00 until 3:00 p.m. at the museum. The Fechin Studio is the restored art studio of renowned early Taos artist Nicolai Fechin and is located at the Taos Art Museum on Taos’s historic Paseo del Pueblo Norte—the road to the Taos Pueblo.

The exhibition features his paintings and ledger drawings. Warm Day Coming explained to me that “Even though there have been those artists before me who painted the Taos landscape and its people, my respect and palette seems brighter because I’ve seen the disappearance of our tribal life-ways.”

You may not be familiar with ledger drawings, which were originally narrative drawings or paintings on paper or cloth created by Native Americans from the Plains.

When the U.S. military, settlers and others moved westward and started populating traditionally Native American lands, the Native Americans replaced the then hard-to-find buffalo hides with more accessible materials like discarded ledger book pages. The Taos Art Museum’s Executive Director, Curator and former Lake Forester Christy Schoedinger Coleman explains, “Native Americans were able to continue to narrate their history and stories, ensuring their voices and experiences would be preserved. Ledger art is a testament to how Native communities navigated challenging circumstances while maintaining their cultural identities, while highlighting their resilience and adaptability during such a tumultuous time.”

Taos Art Museum’s Coleman continues, “Warm Day Coming’s work invites viewers into the stories and traditions of the people who first populated and continue to bless the Taos valley. From stargazing atop the multistoried village of Taos Pueblo to young folks gathered near the hearth to listen to stories and songs of elders, Warm Day Coming’s paintings convey significant moments and experiences in traditional life. He gives the viewer the chance to feel the profound connection to nature present in Pueblo life through his art.”

I asked Warm Day Coming how he felt about exhibiting at the Taos Art Museum in Nicolai Fechin’s historic, light-filled studio. He explained, “It’s like coming full circle. This is the same studio where our grandfather Pedro Mirabal, who also helped build Nicolai Fechin’s home and studio, posed for Nicolai Fechin’s famous painting titled Pietro.”

Warm Day Coming’s grandfather was Fechin’s model for his famous painting, Pietro. Pietro by Nicolai Ivanovich Fechin (American, born in Russia, 1881 – 1955), oil on canvas, 36 × 30 in. (91.4 × 76.2 cm), Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, Indiana, Gift of Harrison Eiteljorg, Object number 1991.15.2. Image courtesy of the Eiteljorg Museum, all rights reserved.

He continued, “When I was much younger and a beginning painter, Eya Fechin, who was Nicolai’s daughter, became a good friend. While I have posed for other artists, like Chinese painter Zhiwei Tu in the Nicolai Fechin Studio at the Taos Art Museum, I am now honored to hang my own work in the Fechin Studio!”

The Taos Art Museum at the historic Fechin House and Studio, built by Taos Pueblo members including Warm Day Coming’s grandfather, will exhibit Jonathan’s artwork. Image courtesy of the Taos Art Museum, all rights reserved.

This exhibition gives Warm Day Coming his due as an artist in his own right. It not only honors him, but also his family’s, and the Taos Pueblo’s, deep and sometimes overlooked history with the Anglo painters who settled in Taos in the late 1800’s through the mid-1900’s. It is a story that, like those in his paintings, in his ledger drawings, and in his books, must not be forgotten.

In the tradition of Taos artists, the Taos Art Museum will offer works from the exhibition for sale with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the museum. This tradition harkens back to the early days of the Taos art colony when the Taos Society of Artists and other Taos artists would offer their works for sale in exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Academy of Design (New York), the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and other esteemed art institutions.

Warm Day Coming shows no sign of resting on his laurels, sharing “I’m still trying to finish a writing project titled Bringing Rain – A Taos Pueblo Story and I also have an unfinished wax bust of a Taos Pueblo man that I want to turn into bronze.” We look forward to hearing more about these and his future endeavors.

If you are in Taos on Saturday, January 18th, do plan to attend the Exhibition Reception between 1:00-3:00 p.m. in the Fechin Studio, adjacent to the museum. Otherwise, do visit between January 14th and March 2nd.

For more information, visit www.taosartmuseum.org

For more information about the artist, visit https://jwarmdaycomingart.com/

N.b., all images subject to copyright. Reproduction expressly prohibited without the written consent of the copyright owner.

By Lenore Macdonald

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