The Zuni Knife-wing figure was a favorite among tourists during the early 1900's. As described by anthropologist Frank Hamilton Cushing, who lived with the Zunis from 1879-1884:
"This curious god is the hero of hundreds of folklore tales, the tutelary deity of several societies of Zuni. He is represented as possessing a human form, furnished with flint knife-feathered pinions, and tail. His dress consists of the conventional terraced cap (representative of his dwelling place among the clouds)... His weapons are the Great Flint-Knife of War, the Bow of the Skies (the Rainbow), and the Arrow of Lightning. His guardians or warriors are the Great Mountain Lion of the North and that of the upper regions. He was doubtless the original War God of the Zunis."
Zuni silversmith Horace Iule is credited with creating the first knife-wing design in the late 1920s. His first one was cut and filed out of wrought silver. Loved by Indian traders, they asked him to make more. Later, the knife-wing became one of the first designs that the Zuni jewelry artists inlaid with stones.

Pictured above is a stunning Helen Hardin painting and a small taste of the jewelry that will be on display and for sale in this exhibit. Please join us if you can or contact us for inquiries about the collection.

We are pleased to announce the opening of our exhibit, "Tradition And Innovation, Masterworks In Native American Art". This event includes paintings by R.C. Gorman, Helen Hardin and Fritz Scholder as well as the jewelry of Charles Loloma, Leekya and John Gordon Leak. These are only a few of the masters of Native American arts included in this recently purchased collection. We feel honored to offer these works to the public and invite you to view them on site or on our web page following the exhibition's opening on November 30, 2007.

This unusual piece shows the amazing range of Cody Sanderson's metal smithing and design ability. It is a tea infuser that opens when you pull up on the lower handles, and the movement is so smooth. We sold this infuser quite some time ago to a loyal customer of ours and now the piece is going to the Heard Museum for an exhibit entitled "Young Jewelers." Cody will by one of eight prominent jewelers in the exhibit, and we are so proud to carry his work, especially an amazing design like this.

For those of you who have never been to our gallery in Shadyside, Pittsburgh, we though we would share a view of our wonderful space with you. It's a great place to visit with so many beautiful things. Come by when you get a chance.

Leekya Deyuse's work draws the highest prices of all Zuni fetishes. Because of it's historic and artistic value, authentic Leekya Deyuse fetishes and jewelry are eagerly sought by Museums, Institutions, and collectors alike. While Leekya was a prolific artist, much of his work has not survived and rarely do new pieces come to market. Leekya Deyuse prices have been steadily rising. Fetish carvings from Leekya Deyuse sell for $2,000 - $40,000. His work is even sold at Sothebys.

The joys of Cody Sanderson's work are many. Cody creates solid pieces that don't skimp on the silver. He embellishes the inside and the outside of his work putting the wearer in tough with the design in both a visual and tactile way. Cody uses traditional patterns and design while mixing them with contemporary ones. His work is stunning and will blend with other Native American Jewelry as well as non-Native American Jewelry. He is an extremely versatile designer and an equally amazing person.

We first met Norbert in the late 1970 and were immediately taken with his use of traditional techniques and handmade tools, (Norbert makes all his own stamps and dies where as others buy theirs). Norbert's work is completely different and immediately recognizable. His style is all his own. For example, the s curves in his bowls are made by hammering steel guitar strings into the silver. He is a true artist and we are so happy to have not only a large collection of his work, but the new pieces pictured here.

We have been working on a new web site design which will be ready to launch some time in September. This is an early stage mock-up of the site, but many design changes have been made since this version. We don't want to give away the surprise completely. We are quite excited about the changes which include not only a new look but more of our amazing gallery stock for you to view. As the world moves forward into a more technological place, Four Winds Gallery is doing more than ever to keep up. This blog is a part of that effort. Our hope is that you will have a better feel for what we have to offer as well as a better understanding of the culture of our art. Access is everything, and we will try to give you better access to the amazing world of Four Winds.

John has just returned from his 32nd Santa Fe Indian Market and was amazed at the overall quality and depth of the work. In addition to the pieces by Four Winds established designers, John purchased work from several young, up and coming artists who he felt were doing innovative and modern work that is still linked to their native roots. John was buying from Eileen Rosetta, whose work is features at the top, and looked into the next booth and saw Vickie Tortalita , a jeweler that John had done business with years ago and lost touch with. Eileen, Vickie's daughter, was a little girl then, running around the market and now is a jeweler in her own right.

Alex Sanchez, whose work is featured below Eileen's, is a new Navajo jeweler that we purchased from this year. his work is a bit more traditional and stunningly done. The prices are very modest as well. Stop by the gallery to see more by these artists or give us a call at 421-682-5092. You can always purchase by phone at Four Winds.

If you're interested in the amazing art of Southwestern jewelry, the book "Southwestern Indian Jewelry" is a must read. In fact, it's a must own. It is a fabulous source on the Native artisans who create the top of the line jewelry of this region, and gives tremendous insight into their process. The images alone are well worth it. We use this book constantly at the gallery, it's just that good.

Four Winds Gallery is proud to announce the recent acquisition of a large collection of stunning George Nakashima furniture. Pictured here is a Free Edge Coffee Table in English Walnut. This piece is classic example of George's later work with the stunning wood grain, organic free edges and gorgeous burled texture.

In conjunction with the acquisition of this new collection and the August 31st - October 28th Nakashima Revealed Exhibition at Carnegie Mellon University, Four Winds Gallery is hosting An Evening With Mira Nakashima, the current Artistic and Business Director of the Nakashima legacy. Mira is an amazing furniture designer in her own right as well as George's daughter. For more information contact Four Winds Gallery.

This is a stunning piece in our collection from the master metal smith Charles Lolama. It is a sandcast cuff in sterling with a gold bezel.

Charles Loloma Biography - Loloma was born on January 7, 1921. His father was a Hopi Indian, Rex of the Sand and Tobacco Clan. His mother, Rachel Loloma was from the Badger Clan. His father was an accomplished weaver and moccasin maker and his mother was and excellent basket maker. The Loloma family lived in a traditional Hopi village. Over the years Charles Loloma developed a sense of design, dedication and meticulousness that was considered to be the Hopi way; in which art is not different from daily life. Loloma attended day school as a child. His talents were recognized by his teachers and he was encouraged to draw and paint. Charles finished high school in 1941. By that time he was an accomplished artist in his community and received many commissions.

As many others, Loloma was drafted into the army in 1941. He became a camouflage expert and was stationed in Missouri. From there he spent time in the Aleutians as an engineer. In 1942 he married Otellie Pasivaya. Loloma returned to her village, Second Mesa, after he was discharged in 1945. With the help of the GI Bill, Charles attended the School for American Craftsmen at Alfred University. There he studied design, mechanical drawing, ceramic chemistry and marketing.

Loloma applied for a Whitney Foundation Fellowship. With the grant he studied the clays used by Hopi Indians. Through his experiments he proved that shale clays would turn into a glaze if fired at high temperatures. During his stay at Alfred Loloma also discovered he wanted to pursue an occupation as an artist. He and his wife set up a shop in the Kiva Craft Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. After several years of working with clay and weaving Loloma decided to try making jewelry. He continued to make and sell his jewelry in his shop. He was a self-taught silversmith. Loloma did find some help in a book called The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths. Loloma's early work was mainly cast objects designed in a traditional Hopi fashion. Loloma also taught part-time at Arizona State College and in Sedona during summers. He was able to formulate ideas on design and gather information on selling and marketing through these various experiences. Loloma and his wife were the first Indians to successfully run a pottery shop. Because of this they received attention that inevitably helped their business.

In 1962 the Institute of American Indian Arts was founded. Loloma was appointed head of plastic arts and sales departments. Loloma traveled to Paris in 1963. While in Paris, his jewelry was modeled in fashion shows and exhibited in private shows. After this visit he returned to the Institute in Santa Fe where he remained until 1965. He then went back to his village in Hotevilla. Soon after his return he divorced his wife and remarried. He built a studio in his home and continued making jewelry.

Loloma believes his most important contribution to the field was what he called "inner gems". These were hidden stones in his jewelry, once the jewelry was put on you could no longer see the gems on the inner side of the jewelry. These gems were to indicate inner beauty of the wearer. Usually these gems were more valuable than the gems on the outside of the jewelry.

Loloma received many awards and prize and is represented in numerous collections nationwide. In 1972 he was featured in two films, one called Three Indians and the other, Loloma. Loloma passed away in 1991and his studio no longer produces jewelry.

We are always happy when new work by Shawn Bluejacket comes into the gallery. Her unique style is very popular with our clients as well as our staff. Shawn's work is a gorgeous combination of gold and silver, detailed wire work, amazing gems, symmetry and asymmetry and beautiful hand worked surface decoration. She is a prolific artist who's work is an important part of our contemporary jewelry collection.

This is a wonderful jar from the Gallegos Collection, maker unknown. It's circa 1925, Zia Polychrome Jar with Birds and Rainbow Band.











This amazing jar is a Geometric Polychrome Jar by Lucy M. Lewis (1898-1992). Acoma 1960's
Anasazi Design

As you may have read in the Four Winds Gallery Bio, we are lucky to be the only gallery that carries the work of Carol Krena. This is one of many pieces we are currently offering in the gallery. The cuff bracelet is stunning, with a gorgeous coral cabochon and the lyrical swirl. The texture and two beads of gold are the icing on the cake.