The Three Faces of the Pioneer Woman by Daniel Pickens

Three Faces of the Pioneer Woman
Visitors to Pickens Museum at City Cental (400 E Central) in Ponca City can see the mural "Three Faces of the Pioneer Woman" which is on display at Pickens Museum on a semi-permanent basis. “Three Faces of the Pioneer Woman” is a mural painted by fine artist Daniel Pickens. Daniel was born in Lima, Peru in 1974 and is currently living in Stockholm, Sweden. Having a Peruvian mother and American father Pickens spent his life living between Peru and the United States finally settling in Europe to dedicate himself to his painting. Pickens studied Art at the Baltimore School for the Arts and The Maryland Institute College of Art and Archaeology at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, Peru. Pickens has had one man shows of his art in Lima and in Stockholm.
Daniel Pickens has his own unique technique for painting. He works in two different styles simultaneously. He uses simple organic lines and flat colors to define faces and anthropomorphic figures reminiscent to images found in archaeological remains from Peruvian pre-Hispanic cultures while at the same time utilizing thin interwoven color lines that define faces and surreal environments. This style is influenced by the detailed handiworks of the Mantaro Valley in the Andes and the profusion of color found in the jungle of central Peru. Most notable among Daniel's other work is his series “The Crosses,” painted to honor the memory of his mother.
The Pioneer Woman mural was commissioned in 2015. According to Hugh Pickens, Executive Director of Pickens Museum in Ponca City, Daniel wanted to paint a mural that evoked Ponca City and “what could be more evocative of Ponca City than the Pioneer Woman.”
“The primary challenge with the mural was finding a fresh approach to the subject matter,” says Hugh Pickens. “The Pioneer Woman has been done to death. It is too familiar to us in Ponca City and statewide. There have been many paintings of the Pioneer Woman over the years and its iconic power had begun to fade.” For that reason Daniel decided that the mural would consist of close-ups of the face of the Pioneer Woman from three different angles to create a new symbol of the Pioneer Woman symbol for our era. “This is a Pioneer Woman for the 21st Century.”
Daniel was in Sweden when he received the commission, so Hugh took thousands of photographs of the Pioneer Woman Statue from every angle and emailed them to Daniel for him to work from. Six months later Daniel delivered three studies of the Pioneer Woman. “Once we approved the studies for the mural Daniel came to Ponca City and painted it in the large studio at my house,” says Hugh Pickens. “I designed the mural structure to be movable so we didn't paint it on a wall. We purchased 12 standard size doors and we put these together on French Cleats into a wall of doors that is 26 feet long by 12 feet high.”
Daniel came to the United States with his one-year old son in January 2016 and painted the mural in 2-1/2 months working from the studies. “The results speak for themselves” says Hugh Pickens. “The mural of the Pioneer Woman is striking. This is Daniel Pickens' masterpiece.”
About Pickens Museum
Location and Hours of Operation
- City Central in Ponca City
- Pickens Outdoor Sculpture Park in Ponca City
- Pickens Learning Center in Tonkawa
- Pickens Gallery at Woolaroc
- Our Future Location
Artists at Pickens Museum
- J. Chester Armstrong
- Bryant Baker
- Eugene Bavinger
- Jolene Bird
- Robin Bray
- Barbara Chase Riboud
- Sergey Chernomorets
- Charles Cordier
- Jo Davidson
- Andrew Scott DeJesse
- Donald De Lue
- Roger Disney
- Barbara Edwards
- Glen Edwards
- Jay Exon
- Yatika Starr Fields
- Espi Frazier
- John Dale Free
- John Free, Jr.
- Paul Gauguin
- Mitch Gyson
- Jeff Ham
- Robert Hardee
- Hugh Harrell Jr.
- K. Henderson
- Bri Hermanson
- Skip Hill
- Malvina Hoffman
- Kristen Hogue
- Varnette Honeywood
- Allan Houser
- Patrick Dean Hubbell
- Oreland Joe
- Catherine Jones
- Malvin Gray Johnson
- Rockwell Kent
- William Kilpatrick
- Tom Lea
- Becky Mannschreck
- John Manship
- Paul Manship
- Raoul Middleman
- Woodrow Nash
- Ed Natiya
- Clyde Otipoby
- Gene Pearson
- Pablo Picasso
- Daniel Pickens
- Erika Pochybova
- Charles Pratt
- Bill Rabbit
- Traci Rabbit
- Tanya Rafael
- Richard Recchia
- Faith Ringgold
- Josué Sánchez
- Fritz Scholder
- Stephen Schwark
- Isaac Shari
- Ralph Steadman
- Scott Storm
- Albert Wein
- C J Wells
Articles about Pickens Museum
Latest Stories about Pickens Museum
- Bronze statue from Pickens Museum to grace Osage Nation campus through the end of the year
- Pickens Learning Commons Opens at NOC Tonkawa
- Pickens Museum puts Monumental Sculpture on Display in Ponca City
- Woolaroc Announces New Exhibit Featuring the Collection of Dr. S. J. Pickens & Hugh Pickens
- Ponca City Monthly publishes story about Pickens Learning Commons at NOC
- Pickens Learning Commons Opens at NOC Tonkawa
- Pickens Museum Acquires "War Club" by Yatika Starr Fields January 20, 2022
2022
- Bronze statue from Pickens Museum to grace Osage Nation campus through the end of the year
- Pickens Learning Commons Opens at NOC Tonkawa
- Pickens Museum puts Monumental Sculpture on Display in Ponca City
- Woolaroc Announces New Exhibit Featuring the Collection of Dr. S. J. Pickens & Hugh Pickens
- Ponca City Monthly publishes story about Pickens Learning Commons at NOC
- Pickens Learning Commons Opens at NOC Tonkawa
- Pickens Museum Acquires "War Club" by Yatika Starr Fields January 20, 2022
2021
- Pickens Museum/NOC Mural Dedication Set for June 16th
- Yatika Starr Fields Completes Mural for Pickens Museum May 12, 2021
- Pickens Museum and NOC Announce Mural by Osage Artist Yatika Starr Fields May 5, 2021
- Osage Warrior in the Enemy Camp (Counting Coup) by John Free March 29, 2021
- Pickens Museum Displays Route 66 Murals by Robert Hardee March 29, 2021
- Pickens Museum Opens Exhibit of Sculpture by Donald De Lue at NOC March 24, 2021
- Pickens Museum partners with NOC February 23, 2021
2020
- Three Faces of the Pioneer Woman February 21, 2020
- Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Faith Ringgold February 21, 2020
- Exhibition: "Winter in New York" January 22, 2020
2019
2018
- The Turquoise Guitar by Jolene Bird November 26, 2018
- World's Largest Naja August 29, 2018
- A 1949 Hudson Limousine August 29, 2018
- Meet the Museum Design Team May 21, 2018
- A Ponca City Mystery April 5, 2018
- Tonya Rafael Visits Ponca City February 2018
2015 and before
- Sculptor Bryant Baker's Lost Masterpiece November 3, 2015
- Pioneer Woman Models Come Home February 26, 2010
- Pioneer Woman Models Should Return to Ponca City July 13, 2007
About Pickens Museum
Contact
hughpickens@gmail.com
Gallery
Osage Warrior in the Enemy Camp by Sculptor John Free.
Osage Warrior in the Enemy Camp by Sculptor John Free.
Three Faces of the Pioneer Woman by Artist Daniel Pickens at our Ponca City location.
War Club" by Osage Artist Yatika Starr Fields
Three Faces of the Pioneer Woman by Artist Daniel Pickens. located in City Centra in Ponca City.
Painting by Peruvian Artist Josue Sanchez. Photo Credit: Hugh Pickens Pickens Museum