Merrill F. Quannie
Shown preparing the intricate copper etching of Mimbres
Mother Turtle Song, Merrill F. Quannie was noted for his powerful
graphic interpretations of the mythology and culture of the ancient
Mimbres Pueblo people who lived in the Mimbres Valley in southwestern New
Mexico between 1000 and 1200 A.D. Quannie, himself of Acoma/Hopi descent,
specialized in symbolic drawings of Mimbres animals and birds, which are
central to each of his drawings, as is the mythical Kokopelli, the flute
player who blesses and heals the people. Intricate motifs and mazes
surround these figures, the latter representing paths for both the animals
and Kokopelli's music. Incorporating Pueblo art and archaeology, as well
as elements of Gestalt and Jungian psychology, Quannie's style is
distinctive in his placement of symbols, animals, and figures to reflect a
three-dimensional reality. Merrill Quannie died in Albuquerque, New Mexico
in 1997 at the age of 41.