Helen Hardin (May 28, 1943 – June 9, 1984) (also known as Tsa-sah-wee-eh, which means "Little Standing Spruce") was an American painter.[1]
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She was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the daughter of Santa Clara Pueblo artist, Pablita Velarde and Herbert Hardin, the Former Chief of Public Safety, State Department. Her first language was Tewa.[1]
Hardin's early artistic works were characterized as traditionally realistic, or, in her words, "cute little Indian paintings."[1] However, as her work rapidly matured and gained confidence, she became known for painting complex works that combined colorful images and symbols from her Native American heritage with modern abstract art techniques. Her work frequently incorporated Mimbres and Ancestral Pueblo figures and kachina forms and masks, of which her 1981 self-portrait Metamorphosis is an example.
A major breakthrough in her early career was a solo exhibition in Bogota, Colombia, in which she sold 27 paintings.[1]
Helen died of breast cancer[2] at the age of 41. Her daughter, Margarete Bagshaw, is a painter and owns a gallery in downtown Santa Fe that features the work of Helen Hardin, Pablita Velarde and Margarete Bagshaw. The gallery is the Exclusive Estate Representative of both Helen Hardin and Pablita Velarde.