Unique works in which images are formed primarily by the direct application of pigments suspended in oil, water, egg yolk, molten wax, or other liquid, onto a generally two-dimensional surface to include canvas, panel, or board.

These are typically oil canvases that depict landscapes, ceremonies, heroic activities (such as buffalo hunting), and other scenes of tribal life. The most typical works are mostly from the Hopi, Navajo and Pueblo tribes, though there are prominent artists from the Comanche, Apache, Kiowa, and other Southern Plains tribes, as well as talented individuals from throughout the United States; virtually all date from the 1930s or later. Historically, most tribes painted pottery, hides, or other materials, but relatively few took pigment to a flat surface, let alone a canvas. This changed in 1932 when a white woman, Dorothy Dunn, established The Studio at the Santa Fe Indian School — which cultivated an entire generation of artists. Perhaps the most famous painter was a Hopi named Fred Kabotie (c. 1900-1986), whose works can sell for upwards of $30,000.