Brilliant Colors Basket (c. 2000)

Chris Johnson’s Brilliant Colors bursts with movement and color. The basket’s swirling design appears to be an evolution of traditional whirlwind patterns. You can see the whirlwind pattern on Diné (Navajo) baskets from the 1930s. In this modern rendition of the forces of the wind, Chris places his whirlwind against a deep blue background on one side—perhaps the sky—balanced with a gray stormy color on the other. Bright flashes of orange, yellow, and blue strike around the edge of the basket. The whirlwind symbol is present in the Diné creation story and represents the manifestation of the breath placed within all creatures.