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"May the warm winds of heaven blow softly upon your house. May the Great Spirit Bless all those who enter there. May your moccasins make happy tracks in many snows. And, may the rainbow always touch your shoulder." Cherokee Prayer Blessing The Great Spirit of the Native American Tribes of the Cherokee and Osage has blessed one of their own, Marta Gilbert, with the essence of her ancestry. So to does the pith of the Native Mexican Indians leave footprints in her soul. Whether depicting the sentiment of the Huichol, Chiapas, Zapatas, or the emotion of warriors or the vitality of a famous bandita, Marta translates their nature with perfection. Like the artist herself her paintings reflect spirituality, honor, and mystique. There is a touch of sadness to the beautiful faces she paints, as if generations of cultural suffocation is being projected. Marta Gilbert has created works that interpret the strength, energy and dignity of these noble people. The piece "La Bandita at 65" is Marta's version of what the subject of her most famous painting "La Bandita" would look like with the wisdom only age can bring. In "Wild Warrior Man," she has captured the image of Ned Christie, the last Cherokee warrior. It shows the disillusionment of the bitter, disgruntled tribal warrior and survivor of the "Trail of Tears," who was killed during an all night battle with U.S. Federal Officers in 1983. "Soul Skin and The Theory of the Four Marias" was inspired from a DNA study of Native People who came across the Bering Strait 35,000 to 50,000 years ago. This study theorizes the possibility that the indigenous populations are all ancestors of four women who made that journey. Another of Marta's works is "Wild Mother, Child Mother" a painting of a young women with her papoose. This piece is as beautiful as it is poetic in nature, the shinning face of its subjects pierces the viewer with its intensity. Marta does an immense amount of research to authenticate her paintings to the finest detail. This is the level of professionalism and love that Ms. Gilbert pours into her work. Besides acrylic, she uses her vast talents in oil, acrylic colors on paper, clay spirit masks and painting on indigenous ceremonial drums as well as drawings in pencil, charcoal, pen and ink. Marta Gilbert was born in Bentonville, Arkansas. She started drawing when she was three years old. Marta says, according to her mother, her first pictures were of upside down horses' heads. Already having the mind of an artist, her mother encouraged her to pursue a career as a concert pianist, for which she studied until her early twenties. She also studied violin and drums, but Marta's heart is with her paints. Her paternal aunt encouraged her painting and gave Marta her first set of oils when she was eight. She sold her first piece when she was a teenager, a painting of a native Tarahumara woman who lived in Chichauhua. Although her art is essentially self-taught, her talent was advanced during three years of study with the Famous Artists School in Wesport, Connecticut. Marta continues to be the most popular artist working in Puerto Vallarta. She has been a resident here since 1971, developing her expertise of the images of the native people. Marta Gilbert's award winning paintings have been exhibited in over 40 solo exhibits, she has participated in over 115 collective exhibitions, as well as being well known for over 300 commissioned works. Her work hangs in collections world wide, and is represented by galleries in San Miguel, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Paris and Puerto Vallarta.

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