Mystic Mesa

Mystic Mesa, 1991, lithograph by R.C. Gorman. In this richly evocative composition, a Navajo woman sits in sacred stillness beside a magnificent Acoma or Jemez pottery vessel adorned with traditional geometric patterns in white and earth tones. She wraps herself in a brilliant red and pink blanket decorated with floral designs, her lavender-blue skirt grounding her seated form. Behind her looms a colossal red mesa or butte formation, its towering columnar features bathed in golden-hour light, while the clear blue sky above and sandy desert ground complete a landscape suffused with spiritual presence. The work beautifully captures the intimate relationship between Navajo people, their pottery traditions, and the sacred Southwest landscape, creating a composition that speaks to both cultural continuity and timeless human connection to place.