We Trust in the Loyalty of Old Friends

We Trust in the Loyalty of Old Friends (1979 – 1982)

An egg tempera mural by Rob Rikoon

The “We Trust in the Loyalty of Old Friends” series of panels stands six (6) feet high and is twenty-four (24) feet long. The paintings show a vast panorama of New Mexico, Eastern Arizona and the Rocky Mountains of South Colorado. It is on display in the Rotunda of the State of New Mexico Capital Building in Santa Fe, NM.

The two panels on the far left depict the Hopi and Navajo Indian Reservations. Large rock formations called mesas have created natural sites for Indian dwellings called pueblos. The panel on the extreme left shows the dry desert in which the Hopi Tribe has built their pueblo. There are three flat mesas, one on top of another. The Hopis believe the Third Mesa, where the ceremonial fire is burning, is the center of the World. The fire and smoke signify the sacred responsibility of the Hopi Tribe to guard the special message of the Creators. This spiritual mission was given to the Hopis in the Pre-Historic era, when the tribe walked the length of the Western Hemisphere three times before settling on top of the Third Mesa. At the base of the First Mesa are Indian Tribes gathered from all over the continent.

The second panel from the left shows the Hopi and Navajo Reservations, together the largest Native American sovereign territory in the United States. The capital of the Navajo Nation is at Window Rock which is a limestone formation with a hole in the center. All this land was once a large inland sea and the underwater currents help create the many interesting rock formations seen in the lower halves of the two left panels. Directly below Window Rock is an open pit coal mine. There are many of these open air operations in this region near cities such as Gallup, New Mexico, shown below the mine.

In the third panel from the left, there is a coal burning electricity generating plant in Shiprock, New Mexico which is sold to far away utilities in Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Albuquerque. The smoke from the Four Corners Power Plant is visible from outer space. Another site of interest in the vicinity is Chaco Canyon, archeological site of an ancient culture. Further to the right is snow-covered Mt. Taylor, revered as the resting place of ancestral spirits. The city of Grants, New Mexico, at the foot of Mt. Taylor, is well known for its rich uranium deposits.

The third panel from the right shows the Rio Grande winding its way down from the high peaks of Colorado in the far distance. The Rio Grande Valley follows the river from Taos down through the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains past where Santa Fe is located. The river widens as it passes through the center of Albuquerque, providing water for the agriculture of the area. The details of the city provide the viewer with a distinctive tour of the business district. Public utilities, banks, and the government buildings are clearly identifiable. Notice the world’s longest tramway, which climbs the Sandia Mountains on the right side of the city. There are also many colorful hot air balloons in the sky, participating in the annual International Balloon Fiesta. In the bottom left corner is the Acoma Pueblo, “Sky City”, built on top of a mesa. This Indian tribe is well known for the beautiful pottery made from the colored desert soil.

In the second panel from the right, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains slope down to meet the edge of the plains. The City of Las Vegas, New Mexico is near the center of this panel. Interstate Highway 25 travels past the eastern slopes toward Denver. The center of this panel is the continuation of Albuquerque with the airport and the adjacent Kirtland Air Force Base, home of the Strategic Air Command. The university area, shopping centers, and the major industrial complexes are highlights of the cityscape as the Rio Grande winds through the city and heads south for Texas.

The rightmost panel depicts the open space characteristic of much of Eastern New Mexico and West Texas – stark yet beautiful. Small towns such as Santa Rosa and Fort Sumner are situated on the banks of dry river beds. The mesas and outcroppings of rock lie above reservoirs of oil and minerals. On the surface, Nature seems serene.

“We Trust in the Loyalty of Old Friends” is painted with egg tempera. Egg tempera is a difficult medium to master and so there are few contemporary artists working with in this medium. It requires patience, disciple and sensitivity to the materials to paint with these materials. Like fresco painting, it is used most often for representational style work. Egg tempera is applied in thin translucent layers. Approximately twenty layers are required to achieve the brilliance achieved in these paintings. The luminosity and atmospheric color effects are produced by layering strokes on top of the next to each other.

. The bird’s eye view is in the compositional style of the Flemish allegorist, Pieter Brueghel, (1525-1569). The vast distance is combined with intimate details describing contemporary styles of city and country life. The color scheme of these panels is an extension of the Impressionistic School (Paris: 1880 – 1900), who first used small broken strokes of color to achieve the impression of being outdoors. The brushwork is executed with small strokes of expressive quality, much like those of Vincent Van Gogh (1853 – 1890). The changing direction of the strokes gives texture to the paintings thus providing eyes with an interesting pattern of movement to complements the large areas of color.

Egg tempera uses simple materials. The yolk of an egg is the main binding agent. Powdered clays and minerals are the colors which, when mixed with egg, create permanent color. The yellow appearance of the yolk does not affect the paint’s color because it is used much diluted with water. The panels are prepared with eight (8) coats of primer called “gesso” made from rabbit skin glue and a white chalk dust. This is polished to a super smooth, highly absorbent surface. The artist makes his paint himself, and the colors should remain constant for well over five hundred (500) years.

Egg tempera is a technique that was invented in the early Middle Ages (300 – 700 A.D.) Artists throughout Europe, such as Irish monks who created The Book of Kells, used egg tempera for centuries because it was the most permanent color paint available. When oil paint was developed in the early sixteenth century, egg tempera slowly lost its appeal to many artists because oil paint was easier to use on the large canvasses. Egg tempera continues to be used because of its greater durability on rigid supports such as wood and plaster walls.