While Lillian was fortunate to have had the help of many friends over the years, being an Indian artist wasn’t always easy.
She struggled for years with the idea of being an Indian artist, she often wondered if she was going to be able to pay the bills, and she was physically incapacitated much of the time.
Being an Indian artist wasn’t necessarily a good thing in the early days.
And, it’s not necessarily a good thing still to this day. There was, and still is, a lot of baggage to go along with it.
And like most artists, I had some very lean years. There were many, many times when I truly did wonder if I was going to be able to pay the rent.
And after my 7th back operation, I thought I might not even be able to work as an artist anymore. It takes some strength you know to mold clay and to work with heavy materials like bronze and glass.
But I’m still working … and still loving what I do.
—Lillian Pitt
Learn More about Lillian Pitt
Learn more about Lillian Pitt and her career being an Indian artist.
Other Points of View: Being an Indian Artist
The question of how to best portray the art of Native people, both traditional and contemporary, has long been a question that brings up some controversy. Here’s one example of what that controversy is about…