Oneida Sky

Calvin Begay is an award winning artist, jeweler, designer and master craftsman. He was born in Gallup, New Mexico in 1965 and raised in Tohatchi, northwestern New Mexico.

Calvin designed his first piece of jewelry at age 10, learning from his mother and uncle. In more than 20 years as a jewelry designer and craftsman, he has become a master in every aspect of the design and manufacturing process. He has won numerous awards at the Gallup Inter Tribal Ceremonial, including Best of Show in 1989. His jewelry has been featured in Arizona Highways and Southwest Art Magazines.

This gifted artist continually innovates and updates his designs, working in both gold and silver, and adding new motifs and stones to his repertoire.

In his leisure time, Calvin participates in rodeos and rides in the back country in his all terrain vehicles. When he creates jewelry, that wild free spirit finds expression in precious metals and stone.

He has a unique ability to translate traditional Navajo inlay techniques into jewelry that reflects his Native American heritage, yet have elegant and contemporary flair. Calvin's work is prized by clients and collectors, not only in the Southwest, but throughout the United States and the world. In the artistry of Calvin Begay, the stunning beauty of the untamed West is reflected in the combination of color and design that create unforgettable pieces of wearable art.

J.C. Black, a Navajo and Zuni Indian, was born in Monument Valley, Arizona and is currently residing on the Navajo Reservation.

Using acrylic on canvas, J.C. Black captures moments in both Navajo and Zuni cultures that would otherwise be lost to the modernization process. Demonstrating a vast talent for detail and abstract visions, J.C. Black can paint a diverse palette. He excels in his use of light and color and his compositions are always compelling. Because of this broad range, the appeal of his artwork is without equal.

Randall Blaze is a nationally known ceramic artist. He lives on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota and is an enrolled Oglala Lakota Sioux tribal member. In 1977, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Montana, in Missoula, Montana.

Randall has participated in several international exhibitions and his work is represented in numerous public and private collections. He has received over 80 prestigious national awards.

Randall is quoted as saying 'Competition is a stimulating and positive aspect of my life. It is a way for me to endeavor to the best I am capable of being as an artist. It makes me think of the pride my Oglala ancestors would feel counting coup. It makes me feel like a modern day 'road warrior' in my own way'.

Randall Blaze was taught the concepts and techniques of art by a generation before him and passes that knowledge onto the next through the artist-in-schools program for the South Dakota Arts Council.

Creatively exploring nature had been his motivation as an artist until 9/11. Post 9/11 pieces are renditions of the human spirit among chaos and destruction.

Some of Randall's current works, including his Honor Vessel, can be viewed and purchased at Oneida Sky, Fine Art and Native American Collectibles Gallery at Turning Stone.

Douglas was born September 27, 1943 in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. He is an enrolled member of the Oglala (Sioux) tribe which is located in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Douglas philosophically believes that Native American artwork should reflect concern for Indian heritage and traditions. He feels the need to communicate to Indian people through art the way his forefathers lived. After extensive research, Douglas, taught himself the art of Sioux lazy stitch beadwork. Douglas currently designs and develops contemporary Lakota Sioux beadwork and artifacts replicating Sioux regalia. Some of his creations include cradleboards, peace pipes, bags, axes and shirts. Douglas' work has been advertised and promoted in magazines such as American Indian Art, Smithsonian, and South West Art and The New Yorker. Douglas has received many special recognitions and awards including taking first place in 1989 at the SWAIA 68th Annual Indian Market.

Douglas Fast Horse - To this day Douglas still creates at home out of a bedroom converted to a studio. He also works on a non-profit Co-op for Indian Arts and Crafts people. A collection of Doug's beadwork can be viewed and purchased at Oneida Sky, Fine Art and Native American Collectibles Gallery at Turning Stone.

Chip Isaacs is a member of the Oneida Nation of New York. Originally an ironworker by trade, Chip first discovered his talent in the 1980s when he used his welding skills and experience to craft his own sterling silver watchband. When the economy and ironwork jobs began to decline, Chip decided to start his own business and began selling his various works of art.

Chip divides his time between jewelry making, bone carving, bead & leather work and taxidermy. Among his most noted works is a squash blossom necklace that was depicted on the cover of Gem and Mineral magazine. He was also artist of the month in Positive Note, a Native American magazine. Chip is also featured carving moose antlers in a video for the Smithsonian Institute of American Indian Archives.

Robin Lazore, a Mohawk from the Akwesasne Reservation, has been weaving baskets for over 20 years. Using the plaiting technique of basket weaving, Robin uses split ash and Sweet Grass as materials, creating a variety of sizes and shapes. She is known for her strawberry and pineapple twist baskets, peace belt designs and colorful decorative patterns. She also created a tissue box basket called 'The Tears and Peace Basket' to represent support for the troops.

Born January 3, 1948 in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, Donald F. Montileaux is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe. He attended college in Spearfish, South Dakota, and Sante Fe, New Mexico. He began his professional career at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in 1977, and began aggressively pursuing his artistic dream alongside his career in 1980. Don's work has literally spanned the globe.

He has received nearly 20 awards and commissions and attended over 25 major art shows throughout his artistic career. His art is illustrated on the cover of six books and his work is included in numerous private and public collections. Don has been a featured artist in art galleries in New Mexico, Minnesota, Arizona, Colorado, as well as South Dakota. Don has been active in various organizations, and has been the topic of numerous publications and articles. In 1994, the pinnacle of his artistic career was an invitation from the SD School of Mines & Technology SKILL Program, to create a work of art that eventually became a part of the payload aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Carrying his artwork, the Endeavor launched from the Kennedy Space Center on March 2, 1995 orbiting the earth 262 times at a mean altitude of 190 nautical miles and speed of 17,500 miles per hour. The shuttle traveled a total of 6,892,836 miles in a 16-day mission.

Primarily a self-taught artist, Montileaux received formal training at the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico and did an internship under noted artist Oscar Howe at the University of South Dakota, Vermillion. He also credits his personal friend and mentor, the late Herman Red Elk, as his primary artistic influence.

Carla Nampeyo Claw was born in 1961. She is the daughter of the well-known Hopi/Tewa potter Thomas Polacca. Carla learned his traditional way of making pottery;decorating the golden hued bowls with fine line painting. Her father developed a very contemporary style of carving using deep carvings depicting Kachinas, the Anasazi, and various animals, a style which Carla learned and used. Despite emulating these two styles, Carla went on to develop another style using a rich, chocolate slip depicting animal and Kachina carvings. Carla Nampeyo also does pottery in traditional Polychrome. Carla has won numerous awards for her pottery. Carla's work can be viewed for purchase at Oneida Sky, Fine Art and Collectibles Gallery at Turning Stone.

Thomas Polacca was born in 1935. He was the grandson of the famous Nampeyo,a Hopi woman considered responsible for the renaissance in Hopi pottery. Several of Thomas Polacca's siblings are also well-known potters, including Elva Tewaguna, Leah Nampeyo, Tonita Nampeyo and Iris Youvella Nampeyo. His daughter, Carla Nampeyo, is also a well-known Hopi potter. Thomas Polacca is a self-taught potter who pioneered the style of deeply carved pottery. Polacca's pots are known for their beautiful mural-like scenes of Hopi religious rituals and ceremonies. His pottery is often very large and unique in color. His work has been featured in many publications and he has been the winner of several awards including the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial. Thomas Polacca passed away in 2003.

Lynn Puhle has been creating what she calls 'Spiritual Art' most of her life. Born in 1955 in the city of Syracuse she is the oldest of five sisters and the granddaughter of Henry Billings, Bear Clan, St. Regis Mohawk. All of her Native influence she attributes to her Mother, Bettie West, her Grandfather and her Aunts and Uncles. Her Uncle Robert Billings served 8 years under President Reagan, founded many teaching institutions and was a Baptist minister. As boring as all that was to her as a child she adored her Uncle who reduced his teachings during his visits to introducing her to telling a joke without swearing, an arduous task for the renegade Lynn.

Wise in the ways of White Society, Lynn's mother always had encouraged her to 'fit in', of which she has done a very poor job. First, without any instruction, she began to paint landscapes. To Lynn, painting the beauty of Mother Earth held more fascination than anything else. In time she saw a Dream Catcher and a dream told her to create her own. She began by creating them for friends; explaining the spiritual connection and teaching those around her of the power of innocent belief. Over time she began to sell them to people who had seen or heard of the ones she'd given to friends. Then it occurred to her that it was the perfect way to tell a story in symbols.

Lynn's Dream Catchers can now be found in many homes of those interested in the something more than just a pretty wall sculpture. With each of her Dream Catchers comes a story. Most of them come from her experience or her childhood. For the first time she has used a legend from history to create a Dream Catcher Totem based on the Legend of Hiawatha.

And as things do happen this way in life, Lynn's Mother is happy that her little renegade didn't listen and never really 'fit in'. It's highly unlikely Lynn will ever 'fit in' and there's nothing wrong with that. Her artwork is not traditional, yet speaks to her history and those who have gone before. It's also relevant to today as evidenced by the Dream Catcher Totem. It's entitled, 'Peace is Always Possible'.

Lynn has two college degrees, has owned her own recruiting firm, and now lives on the island of Andros, the Bahamas, with her husband, Captain William Puhle. She has one daughter, Bettie Loughrey, two grandchildren, Breezy and Zach, and has two orphaned Bahamian Kittens, Smuggler and Contraband.

Tammy Tarbell-Boehning was raised near the Onondaga Indian Reservation just outside of Syracuse, New York. Her Iroquois heritage plays an integral part in all aspects of her life. Tammy began expressing herself in visual arts at an early age and later studied graphic art at Onondaga Community College and at Syracuse University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree. As a college student, she developed a love for clay and has since specialized in ceramics.

To give expression to her own heritage, she incorporates the shapes and designs of old-style Iroquois pottery and uses traditional materials such as feathers, hide, and glass beads. Her figurative pottery combines old and new techniques, and materials, in the representation of American Indian women. In these clay works she attempts to capture the essence of the Native American woman's spiritual way of life. Tarbell-Boehning is a self-employed potter and sculptor whose work can be seen in Native American art shows and museum collections across the country. Tarbell-Boehning enjoys traveling to museums, pow-wows, and art markets. In 1987 she served as artist-in-residence at the Metropolitan School for the Arts in Syracuse, New York.

Ray Tracey is nationally known and respected as one of the most outstanding Native American jewelers. Born and raised on the Navajo reservation in Arizona, Ray began making jewelry at the age of nine; he now has been working professionally as a jeweler since 1977. He has received multiple awards through out the years.

Ray is an extremely versatile artist. He not only designs traditional Navajo Old Style jewelry, but remains on the cutting edge of contemporary design, including the incorporation of faceted gemstones. His inlay work is unmistakable with vibrant stones such as Lapis, Corals, and Turquoise into sterling silver and 14K gold. He also creates one of a kind collection pieces made with materials such as opals, diamond and 14K gold which are unmistakable.

New designs by Ray Tracey have not been seen for several years and we are pleased and proud to be presenting Ray's design concept 'Native Samurai'. This line is a result of Ray's long time admiration of Japnese design and culture.

Ray's 'Native Samurai' line reflects a culmination of inspiration by the richness of his ancestral history, merging cultures and his fashion-forward contemporary insightfulness.