Painter Balances Roles As Artist And Mother, Paints With Young Daughter

OGDEN, Utah — When Kwani Povi Winder had her daughter, she wondered how she could balance motherhood and art. A grant from a nonprofit arts organization helped make sure she could do both. Hers is a story of artists helping artists.

Her brush strokes are bold and yet intimate. Kwani Povi Winder comes from the Santa Clara Pueblo Tribe and believes it is a privilege to capture her people’s rich traditions through her art.

“I can’t remember because I have always… I’ve just always been from what my mom says the time I could hold a pencil, I was always just (drawing) stuff. But I didn’t always want to be an artist. So I loved art and entered a whole bunch of competitions when I was younger,” Winder said.

Despite the beauty she has portrayed in her landscapes and in her native figures, she studied science — hoping to become a doctor or a physical therapist.

“My dad passed away unexpectedly and art is kind of what got me through it. And so I decided that if that’s where I turned to when things are hard, I should probably be headed that direction,” she said.

Kwani says the connection between her knowledge of biology and studying the physical world has clearly helped her art.

Just as she was establishing herself as an artist and wife, another change came. She was expecting a baby with her husband, Dallen Winder, who she calls the perfect partner.

“I spent a lot of time terrified that I would lose my art, that I would use this huge part of me that I’d finally found, I guess, because it was still new. That’s where my faith came in to play. If I really wanted this, Heavenly Father would help me make it happen,” she said. “He would help me figure out how to balance that and how to make it work. And he sent me a daughter that is incredible.”

With Tayva close to her heart, literally and figuratively, Kwani painted and soon realized her little one understood.

“She’s she’s extremely observant. She will sit and watch and she’s very respectful. I do,” she said.

As soon as Tayva could hold a paint brush, she started creating her own art.

“I let her explore. I try and say ‘yes’ as often as I can to her to help her, you know, enjoy it.”

KSL cameras captured mother and daughter sitting side-by-side working together on a painting. From the moment you walk into her home, you can see through her art that Kwani has brought the strength of women forward with the mother-daughter connection through the generations.

Beautiful paintings of family groups grace her living room walls.

“I’d started painting women a lot to honor their beauty and their dedication to family but also their spirits,” Kwani said.

A painting of her mother is in the new Latter-day Saint exhibition at the Church Museum of Art in downtown Salt Lake.

“I’ve been able to lean on her and lean on her faith, and in her in turn was strengthened by my grandparents and just kind of there was a whole bunch of emotion and thought went into that painting of wanting to show who she is, and who we are as people and show that we have a spiritual side.”

This art career is even more of a family affair. Kwani’s husband, Dallen, helps her cut her own frames. They now have their own chop saw set up in their garage, thanks to a ‘mother artist grant’ from a nonprofit Vision of the Arts Fund from her Latter-day Saint community.

“There’s a group of us women that all of a sudden we’re all in this same… phase of life. Being able to ask people for, some of those artists, for help or just being able to talk to them. Just knowing that I wasn’t alone was a big thing.”

Something else happened, which Kwani considers a blessing. As an artist, she became more efficient.

“I am able to paint more in less time than how I was able to paint when I had all the time,” Kwani said. “It’s just I don’t know if it’s more valuable to me, so I’m more efficient, but I know that I have been blessed in other ways to make this happen.”

The grant was made possible through the online Vision of the Arts Auction that runs through April 27th.

Kwani Povi Winder believes the gifts that she possesses, coupled with the support of her fellow artists, will help her tell the story of her unique heritage.