We are deeply privileged to honor the enduring legacy of Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Crumbo (1912–1989) as a featured master artist at Native American Greeting Cards™. As the first Indigenous-owned greeting card company, our driving purpose is to amplify the voices and visions of Native creators across generations. By adapting Crumbo’s world-renowned masterpiece, "Spirit Horse," into a premium greeting card format, we are bringing an elite piece of 20th-century Native American fine art history right to your mailbox.
About the Artist: A Titan of Native Fine Art:
Woody Crumbo was a proud citizen of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. An orphan by age seven, Crumbo spent his youth living among Muscogee Creek, Sioux, and Kiowa families, absorbing a vast tapestry of Indigenous music, language, and ceremonial dance. He grew up to become a true polymath—traveling the country as a professional dancer, mastering the traditional Kiowa wooden flute, serving as the art director at Bacone College, and helping curate the foundations of the historic Gilcrease Museum collection.
Inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1978, Crumbo’s legacy is preserved in institutions globally, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Behind the Masterpiece: What is the "Spirit Horse"?
Crumbo was a pioneer of printmaking. He favored intricate silkscreen and serigraph methods to meticulously layer vivid pigments, creating brilliant depth. His most iconic subject matter was the equine form—rendered not as a simple pack animal, but as a striking, ethereal being.
The "Spirit Horse" series typically features a majestic horse—often in deep, whimsical blues or brilliant rainbows—boasting a flowing mane and tail. Set against minimalist or deep backdrops, the subject appears trapped in mid-motion. When asked about his choice of unreal, vibrant hues, Crumbo famously remarked:
"(They) have never been animals to me when they get on canvas. They are spirits, and if I paint them in unreal colors, it is meant to prove that they are phantoms."
Art for the People:
Crumbo didn't just paint for wealthy galleries; he spent six decades breaking barriers to ensure that everyday people could access and afford authentic Native art. He believed that printmaking was a vehicle to distribute cultural stories to the masses.
Our collaboration with the Crumbo legacy honors that exact mission. Featuring his Spirit Horse on our sustainably sourced, eco-friendly card stock gives people an affordable way to share, collect, and mail a legendary piece of Citizen Potawatomi heritage.