Artist Michael Toya at Gathering of Nations -

Posted By Corinne Rice May 29th, 2019 Last Updated on: May 31st, 2019

Artist Michael Toya is a local artist in Albuquerque, and his art used images from his Jemez Pueblo culture.

I stopped by his booth at Gathering of Nations to see his latest creations!

He has both traditional images on canvas as well as images that incorporate more modern themes like Star Wars with Pueblo flare.

Many of his prints are embellished even further with hand painted touches that add further originality to his paintings.

Michael expressed to me that his paintings were very traditional incorporating his Pueblo imagery, but recently after having the opportunity to attend the Indigenous Comic Con he branched out into blending his traditional paintings with the fandom world.

View this post on Instagram

ABQ Comicon this evening through Sunday! Venue-ABQ convention center. Excited about my new any occasion greeting note cards! Come see first hand! #starwars #newmexico #starwarsart #starwarsnerd #starwarsfan #bobafett #atat #bb8 #c3po #darthvader #stormtrooper #droids #maytheforcebewithyou #original #native #traditional #southwest

A post shared by Michael Toya (@toyamichael) on Jan 18, 2019 at 11:23am PST

One of my favorite pieces was a stormtrooper riding atop an appaloosa horse.

View this post on Instagram

The force is strong in Indian Country! #painting #mixedmedia #starwarsart #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #original #native #traditional #tradition #heritage #starwarsfan #starwars #darthvader #darthmaul #warriors #stormtrooper #warpony #energy #loveit #loveart #southwest #newmexico #jemez #indigenous #indigenousart #strive #maintain #princessleia #maytheforcebewithyou #vibrant

A post shared by Michael Toya (@toyamichael) on Apr 23, 2019 at 4:19pm PDT