Kee Yazzie — Navajo/Diné Silversmith
Navajo (Diné) silversmith. Profiled in Mark Bahti’s Silver + Stone (2007).
Kee Yazzie, a Navajo silversmith, was profiled with his father, Alton Yazzie, in Mark Bahti's Silver + Stone (2007).
The Mark
No hallmark is recorded for this artist in our sources yet. If you have a signed piece, we would love to see the mark.
From the Library: Bahti, Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers (2007)
A 2007 profile, reviewed and corrected by the artists themselves before publication. Anything described as current describes 2006-2007, not today.
As Kee Yazzie told Bahti (2007):
“My most valuable tools are my stamps. My dad made my stamps.”
— Bahti (2007), p. 202 [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 200), Kee Yazzie was born in 1969, went to school in Ganado, Arizona, and studied architecture at a Utah community college; in 1993 in Winslow he and Chris Billy became apprentices to silversmith Ray Scott, and by 1995 Kee had all his own tools. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 202), stampwork and overlay of up to four layers were his primary techniques; he began adding gold as an accent in 1997, and turquoise was his first stone, with coral added later. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 202), Blue Rain was his first gallery client, he won a first-prize ribbon for a bracelet at Indian Market in 1998, and he began showing at the Heard the following year. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 202), growing up around rock art influenced his work, and sea motifs inspired his “underwater bracelet.” [1]
Family in the directory: Alton Yazzie
Sources
- Bahti, Mark. Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers. Tucson: Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2007. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2007.
Know more about Kee? Contact T.Skies.
This profile is maintained in support of Native American silversmiths and is compiled from published sources, cited above. See something inaccurate, or want to add to it? Contact us.