Kelvin Yazzie and Mrs. Avery at the exhibition opening. Photo by Jannelle Weakly.

"Herding Sheep." Photo courtesy of the artist.

"Buff at the Powwow." Photo courtesy of the artist.

About Kelvin Yazzie

“I became an artist with the idea that I would be the next Fritz Scholder or R.C. Gorman but I remember being told by the Scottsdale galleries that my style wasn’t “Indian enough,” recalls Kelvin Yazzie (Navajo). The artist earned a BFA in ceramics in 1985 from Southern Utah University after a restless stint at BYU switching majors from engineering to architecture to education to social work. Originally from Churchrock, NM on the Navajo reservation, Yazzie returned after graduation to find work in Gallup. He has also worked for a lumber mill and as a Forest Service fire fighter in Utah. Presently, Yazzie is working on his MFA in printmaking at the University of Arizona. An artist-in-residence in Arizona and Nevada elementary schools and a collaborator on a tile mural project for a school in Yuma, the artist speculates “maybe I could teach after graduation. I would like to continue with school programs. When I was a kid in the auditorium I always wished for a Native American presenter, so I want to become that guy and encourage the questions I always wanted to ask.”

Yazzie’s expressive style, energetic brush strokes and bold colors certainly stir the viewer. “Herding Sheep” reminds one of an Edvard Munch with its deep blue sky full of motion and emotion. Indeed it is the sky that is the subject of this painting. “Buff at the Powwow” is full of hidden symbolic images within the frenetic dance scene. Almost ghostly, images pop in and out as you become more and more visually engaged by this painting. Yazzie’s work is a very interesting mixture of European and native painting styles.