“Unfinished Sketch I”

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Jd Challenger was born in Oklahoma with a creative fire that first began to smolder when he was a young child, becoming a wildfire as he reached his teens. After moving to the Southwest, he enjoyed success as an artist painting landscapes. Privately, Jd continued to draw and paint as he started to learn about Native Americans. He was reluctant to show his paintings in public for fear of offending a people he greatly admired. Working in oils and acrylics on canvas, as well as with watercolor, his style continued to emerge and his passion grew.
While growing up in Oklahoma, Challenger was especially close to his “step – grandfather,” a full blood Chocktaw, who first introduced the young Jd to the culture and spirit of the Native American people. It was this relationship that would profoundly influence the direction of his life. Upon witnessing a Ghost Dance ceremony being filmed for a movie, he came face to face with his mission in life. “As I stood there watching the chanting and the dancing, I knew what I wanted to paint . . . nothing had ever been clearer.”