In a little better lighting:

When I enlarged the pic the very first thing I noticed at the bottom right is an Indian symbol of an eagle. Wait, there are other symbols. Look up the art piece using Indian symbols.

I found a Cuban artist named Mariano Rodriguez. The signature looks similar enough(?)

Here's a link to some:

https://www.invaluable.com/artist/mariano-1912-g5430goayj/sold-at-auction-prices/

Could that be the same artist?

Here's one of them that looks similar in style (to me, pretty uneducated in art world); well, maybe not the style so much as the darker tones.... I'll keep looking.

Edited now; I was too focused on the signature. Clearly your painting has sandpainting, so southwestern, def not Cuban....

Could you/did you ask the seller where she purchased?

There are a few amateur painting sleuths on this Reddit. Maybe one could help.

https://www.reddit.com/r/WhatIsThisPainting/

Thanks all!

I have Googled this thing every-which-way that I can possibly think of. The symbols are bolder at the top and lighter at the bottom, which seems to be an intentional 'fading' from the water being poured out in the center of the painting. I don't believe this has any particular meaning, but is a collection of imagery to convey that southwest vibe. It almost has a kitschiness about it. It isn't a 'sandpainting' in the true sense of the traditional Navajo sandpaintings.

I'm familiar with Mariano Rodriguez, and oddly enough the signature on my painting is very simliar to the signature Rodriguez has used on some of his work. He was a prolific painter and his style changed throughout the decades, but I would still be very surprised if this is his work. He did a lot of abstracts, but I can't imagine that he would venture into southwestern US symbology.

The seller had no idea about this piece, and seemed to just want it out of her house. I get it -- it's large and definitely has limited appeal.

I'll look at that link, deegw. I've also just joined a FB group where the sole purpose is for members to post paintings and others share what they know or find out about the paintings. It looks somewhat promising!

No idea anout the art but 80s isnt vintage! I remember the 80s like yesterday!

Can you look up the symbols individually, and get a story? I like the painting! Glad you got it!

80s is vintage though! 40-something years ago! ;-D I'm with you though, Annie. Wasn't that just yesterday?

Since it's not a traditional Navajo sandpainting, the symbols probably don't tell a story per se. I do think it's just a collection of imagery intended to convey a "Santa Fe" look and feel. Some of them, such as the animals and human-like images, are meant to look like ancient petroglyphs or pictographs. I'm almost envisioning this as one of those pieces you might have found at a starving artist sale held at the local Holiday Inn in 1981 ... anyone remember seeing those advertised in their area?

Boy! that signature sure looks like Mariano to me!

My first impression was that it was a Madonna.

Did you share this on the Antiques forum yet?

I haven't posted in the Antiques & Collectibles forum yet, but I will.

You could submit it to Antiques Roadshow and see what they have to say.

Here's your photo with a different perspective:

The proportions I adjusted it to are 3:4 - I don't know whether that is correct or not.

The signature does not resemble Mariano's at all to me and it looks a bit like Marion (the second and fifth letters are completely different), but I'm not even sure that the first letter is "M".

I would ask an art dealer (if you know one personally) about it.

Where is super sleuth Jilly?

No luck on my end! I’m very intrigued. :)

I tried google lens on some of the isolated larger elements to see what they might symbolize, but I got no hits on any of them ( I don't mean the more recognizable ones), so I'm not sure there is anything traditionally symbolic about the center arrangement of images.

There’s an app for that. I know nothing about the apps but…

“Smartify is a free art identifier app for iOS and Android devices to identify artworks and artists.”

I've continued to search and search, to no avail. At this point, I've kind of given up hope, and don't have quite the same driving desire to know more. We hung the painting up in our hallway upstairs and will enjoy seeing it in that space, which was pretty much the only expanse of wall large enough to properly accommodate the piece. I may also be kinda "mad" at the painting right now, since I wrenched my back helping DH hang it. It was a beast trying to get it up on two hooks, and I must've twisted wrong in the process. Getting older stinks!