When my family asked me to write an introduction for this website, I suggested we attempt to write something of the interesting aspects and longevity of our rich heritage in Native American and Western Art.

It was then that I began to realize how diverse and original my family has been in the involvement of the arts as well as many other art medias such as paintings, jewelry, western art, and sculpture.

It all began many years ago when my grandfather opened the first of what would be considered a small yet profitable retail store on Old Route 66 near the New Mexico and Arizona state line. This was a place of mystic to the traveler being it was the entrance to the great Navajo Nation and Painted Desert. My grandfather, being the entrepreneur that he was, envisioned a great potential in this area.

He began by designing and producing jewelry made of petrified wood. He may have very well been the first to attempt to incorporate this method as petrified wood is very difficult to cut into shapes to be set in jewelry. I recollect as a small child my grandfather working in his musty dust laden shop creating the interesting jewelry he so loved. His was a business that flourished and soon was able to afford an extravagant home that included three Navajo hogans connected together in a bizarre yet attractive way. It become to be known locally as the Navajo Castle and attracted everyone passing by including many movie stars, celebrities and affluent people all of which would always leave with a definite impression. He had succeeded in building a most memorable place in the Southwest.

Today my grandfather is gone and my grandmother resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico but one thing remains and that is creativity and design of some of the most beautiful Indian and Western art.

With this introduction, I hope to enlighten students, educators, art lovers and collectors as to the origination of this fine collection.

We will always be adding new additions to our web site so please bookmark and visit us often.

Because we respect the right of every artist represented in this collection to make a living, we must remind you that you may not produce, alter, or transmit any artwork in the website without written permission. Thank you and enjoy your visit.

--Pat Yellowhorse