Ayi Sizuzii (Spirit)

Ayi Sizuzii (Spirit), a 1973 oil pastel by R.C. Gorman, brings the viewer eye-to-eye with a contemplative Navajo woman rendered in warm earth tones against a luminous tawny background. Her long black hair spills across her shoulders as burnt sienna, terracotta, and umber modeling shape her strong features, with soft rose touches flushing her cheeks. The close-cropped composition and meditative gaze give the piece a portrait-like intimacy, capturing the reverent spiritual presence implied by the title. Gorman’s confident pastel strokes layer warm ochres and coppery browns into a glowing, candlelit palette that feels both grounded and otherworldly. A signed original from the artist’s formative Taos years, this work is a collector-caliber Gorman oil pastel suited to Navajo portraiture enthusiasts, Southwest gallery collections, and buyers seeking a spiritually charged Native American fine art original.