Navajo Wood Carving of Very Tall Owl by Charlie Willeto

This Navajo owl wood carving by Diné folk artist Charlie Willeto is one of the most exciting pieces included in Adobe Gallery's current collection.  Willeto—a medicine man by trade, who began carving late in life to support his large family—was known to have worked with whatever materials he could find.  This piece looks like it might have been carved from a 4”x 4” post, or something similar, before being painted with house paints or whatever else was close at hand. It is amazing that Willeto was able to create such significant artworks using found or bartered-for materials. 

Willeto carved many owls during his career, occasionally adorning them with feathers and bright colors.  This owl is simple—it features no elaborate changes or surreal designs. It stands tall and holds a powerful presence.  Its pentagonal head sits atop a long, slim body which is decorated with black and white paints. Its feathers are painted on rather than carved into the wood, a decision which works well here.  Its most notable characteristic is that which is most difficult to describe—the piece has a mysteriously alluring quality that is hard to define, impossible to deny.

Charlie Willeto (1897-1964) was a Diné artist who was unrecognized during his lifetime but has, in recent years, received a great deal of acclaim for his folk art carvings.  Willeto’s father Pablo Walito was a Diné medicine man; his mother Adzaan Tsosie “Slender Woman” was a medicine woman. Willeto followed into his parents’ profession, and also married a woman who was born into the traditional Diné healing arts. In 1961, Willeto began creating the carvings for which he is celebrated today.  The carvings ranged in size from a few inches tall to nearly life-size, with the majority standing between one and three feet. Willeto is believed to have completed about 400 carvings in total. Today, his works are included in prominent public and private collections including the Smithsonian and the Museum of International Folk Art.

Condition: this Navajo Wood Carving of Very Tall Owl by Charlie Willeto is in excellent condition

Provenance: private collection

Recommended Reading: Collective Willeto: The Visionary Carvings of a Navajo Artist, Museum of New Mexico Press

Relative Links: Navajo Nation - Diné, Charlie Willeto