Hand-painted Drums by Joan M. Hellquist

To the over 500 tribes, the beat of the drum represents the heartbeat of Mother Earth. The drum has been a part of Native American spiritual life and ceremony for centuries. All tribes feel a spiritual bond with the earth, the heavens and all things living and non-living. By observing animals and their behaviors, different powers or qualities have been given to many species. When a specific animal comes into your life, it brings with it the gift of its power. It is Joan’s hope and desire to poetry not only the spirit of the specific animal, but the gifts and powers that each animal represents.

Joan was once asked why she didn’t paint the animals on canvas or paper. Her answer was simple, because not only are the drums made of once living materials, rawhide and wood, but the drum gives the animals a voice. All of her painted drums are playable instruments, even on the painted image. Whether her drums are played or displayed, they require proper care because temperature and humidity changes as well as sunlight can not only change the sound of the drum, but can damage the hide. Joan gives detailed instructions to buyers as to how to care for the drum.

Joan is very proud that two of her drums are owned by the Tribal Chairperson of the Coyote Band of the Pomo Tribe of California and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe of Connecticut. She has drums not only in the United States, but also in Australia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and France and has painted almost 400 drums.

Joan’s drums have been in Kiva Fine Arts in Santa Fe 2003-2006 and the Northern New Mexico Art Catalog 2009-2011. She showed her work in the Placitas Holiday Sale in Placitas, NM from 2002 until Covid, the Placitas Studio Tour and was a vendor at the Gathering of Nations, the largest pow wow in North America from 2004-2013.