Steve Yellowhorse — Navajo/Diné Silversmith
Navajo (Diné) silversmith. Profiled in Mark Bahti’s Silver + Stone (2007).
Steve Yellowhorse, a Navajo silversmith, was profiled in Mark Bahti's Silver + Stone (2007).
The Mark
Recorded mark: SY on a plate; also a horse symbol with his initials under the horse or on its rump (Schaaf (2003), p. 334).
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.
Speaking to Bahti (2007) about his start in 1975, Steve Yellowhorse recalled:
“I started with cement-and-oil casting. Tried that for a year but couldn't make a living at it, couldn't get it to cast right.”
— Bahti (2007), p. 206 [1]
As Steve Yellowhorse told Bahti (2007):
“When I do a show, one of my purposes is to educate people and shatter the misconception that all American Indians are alike.”
— Bahti (2007), p. 207 [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 205), Steve Yellowhorse was born in 1954 in Corpus Christi, Texas, son of Juan Yellowhorse, called Chief Yellowhorse, and went to school in Sanders, Arizona. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 206), he began working silver in early 1975, at twenty, learned in Gallup production shops alongside fellow silversmiths Kevin Barnhill and Tom Taylor, and was self-employed by the late 1970s, naming natural design, Art Nouveau, modern art, jazz and virtuoso guitar as inspirations. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 207), he began using gold in the mid-1980s and worked with Turney's shop in Gallup from 1985 for fifteen years; as of 2007 he worked in the Yellowhorse family's state-line complex, near his brother Stuart and nephew Alvin, who also worked silver. [1]
Speaking to Bahti (2007) about his market, Steve Yellowhorse said:
“there is still a market for quality, uniqueness, and that is who I am making jewelry for”
— Bahti (2007), p. 207 [1]
Family in the directory: Artie Yellowhorse
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.
- Schaaf, Gregory. American Indian Jewelry I: 1,200 Artist Biographies. Santa Fe: CIAC Press, 2003. Cited for the recorded hallmark.
Know more about Steve? Contact T.Skies.
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