Three "New" Masters--Panteah, Bedonie and Curtis

One of the unfortunate things about being an artist is that often, renown and recognition comes after you are gone. That is just as true in the American Indian jewelry world, where people recognized as "masters" are typically no longer with us, while people who are still working are considered "contemporary".  That is not to say that contemporary artists are not true masters of their art, but the marketplace traditionally waits to place them in the "master" category.  They may have achieved worldwide acclaim during their lifetimes, but their reputations (and the value of their creations) frequently goes up after their life is over.  The great giants of Southwestern Indian Silverwork are generally considered to be people like Loloma, Kenneth Begay, Preston Monongye, Julian Lovato and Joe H. Quintana, but there is another group of artists who only recently passed on who are now coming to be recognized as true masters.  Today, we'd like to look at three of those artists: Myron Panteah, Ron Bedonie and Thomas Curtis.

MYRON PANTEAH (Zuni, 1966-2016)

Of the three, Panteah is probably the least known, though his work is incredibly detailed and creative.  He departed from the usual Zuni inlay technique and created his own style, using textured silver and gold, semiprecious stones and amazing cutout designs.  

This bracelet, made from oxidized and textured silver with silver and gold applique, shows the tightly grouped cutout figures for which he became quite well known.  It is a testament to his skill and precision that no other artist has tried to imitate his style with any success.

RON BEDONIE (Navajo, 1967-2024)

If stampwork and filed designs are your thing, Bedonie had no betters and very few equals.  He was not an innovator like Panteah, but rather a perfector--just look at the detail and symmetry in the silver bracelet below:

Many artists have tried to emulate Bedonie's obsessively detailed work, but none has managed to equal it.  

THOMAS CURTIS (Navajo, 1945-2013)

Of the three artists mentioned here, Curtis had the longest career and gained the most fame during his lifetime, when he was rightly considered to be one of the greatest living Navajo silversmiths.  He was a master of stampwork and repousse, and always worked in very heavy silver.

Note the evenly spaced repousses, all surrounded by intricate stampwork.  His symmetry and precision calls to mind the great pieces of the 19th Century, while his forms and techniques were unmistakably modern. His tradition is being carried into the future by his daughter Jennifer, who uses his stamps and techniques with great skill.

We are often asked which artists we think will be considered "masters" in the future, and here are three of our answers.  For examples of their work for sale, please check the ARTISTS section of the TMT website.

The Life and Work of Lewis Lomay

To celebrate the upcoming show SILVER HONORS STONE: THE WORK OF JULIAN LOVATO at the Wheelwright Museum, opening April 10, we are featuring one of the other artists who has a prominent place in the show: Lewis Lomay. 

As anyone who has followed Turkey Mountain Traders over the years can tell you, one of our favorite artists is Lewis Lomay, the Hopi artist who was born in 1915 at Oraibi.  His work melds together the symbolism of his Hopi upbringing and the fine craftsmanship from his training under two of the greats of Southwestern silverwork.  Recently, a friend brought in a copy of NEW MEXICO magazine from July 1976, which happened to have an article devoted to Lomay, and we wanted to share some of what we learned from reading it.

The first thing we learned about him, which is not commonly known, is that he first learned jewelry making at the Santa Fe Indian School under Ambrose Roanhorse, the great Navajo silversmith, who started his students working on copper and brass before moving on to silver slugs, which they would heat and pound into small buttons.  From there, they advanced to more elaborate things as their skill allowed.  Lomay studied at the Indian School for a year before returning to Hopi for the summer.  Then, in a bit of a chance occurrence that would impact the rest of his life, he returned to Santa Fe in the fall too late to register for courses.  As the article states, "After a few days spent looking for a job in Santa Fe he found one in the shop of Frank Patania.  Patania was a jeweler who had been an apprentice in Italy and a goldsmith and designer in New York before he came to Santa Fe (in 1927).  Lomay remembers Patania as a remarkable craftsman.  In his shop Indian designs were used, but the work was done to meet a goldsmith's exacting standards.  New designs, of European origin, were introduced.  'Working with Patania,' Lomay says, 'I learned about modern jewelry and how to finish pieces in any metal as perfectly as they did in gold.'"

Lomay worked with Patania in both Santa Fe and Tucson until the outbreak of World War II, at which time he went to work painting aircraft for the war effort.  When the war ended, he returned to Santa Fe but found he could make more money painting houses than making jewelry.  (Times have certainly changed, haven't they?)  He continued to make jewelry for family members and eventually entered some pieces in Indian arts and crafts shows, where they won many awards.  Encouraged, he returned to producing jewelry full-time, which remained his profession until his passing in 1996.

Lomay's work is modern and beautiful, a creative melding of traditional materials and techniques with contemporary and original designs.  We currently have two Lomay pieces in inventory, a bracelet and a pair of earrings, both shown below:

If you are interested in adding a piece by this highly important artist to your collection, please give us a call at (480) 423-8777 or email us at info@turkey-mountain.com.