Artist Dalbert Castro - Nisenan Maidu Born in 1934 near the ancient village of Holakcu, Auburn, Placer County, California, Dalbert Castro's childhood was spent among tribal elders, from whom he learned the traditional legends and stories of the Maidu people. His grandfather, Jim Dick, was the last Maidu chief or headman of the area, and Castro's late wife, Betty Murray Castro, was well known for her storytelling abilities and knowledge of the Maidu language and history. It wasn't until 1973, after serving a term in the U.S. Navy, and then working in the logging industry and form firm making clay pipes, that he found himself unemployed and not knowing what to do. His wife Betty suggested he start painting. Skeptical at first and without any instruction, he took her advice. Castro is often identified as a folk artist who creates a kind of "naive" art, but he continues to grow as an artist and interpreter of his people and has come to be well recognized. His Nisenan Maidu background is rich in the mythology and regional flavor of the Sacramento Valley and foothills, which he captures in his paintings. He has exhibited at the Oakland Museum of California, the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, Chaw'se Regional Park's invitational show at Pine Grove, Amador County, at Pacific Western Traders in Folsom, and elsewhere. He was one of eight artists featured by the California Historical Society in its special Fall 1992 issue of California History, entirely devoted to Indians of California. The Oakland Museum holds an important collection of Castro's work, which will be the subject of a future exhibition there. Pictured above:"Nish-a-Nan Baskets" Acrylic on canvas (1992) 24" x 30" $1,200                                             Available through Pacific Western Traders at http://www.pacwesttraders.com/paint.html