Diné Wood Carving of Wise Old Owl by Charlie Willeto [SOLD]

This wood carving by Diné folk artist Charlie Willeto depicts a creature that is of great significance to the Diné people: the owl. To the Diné, owls are the messengers of death. The owls themselves are not evil, but their appearances can signify that something bad is going to happen. Willeto created many owl carvings during his short but productive career. One might wonder exactly what—as a medicine man—Willeto thought of these harbingers of death. He must have felt strongly about them, as he created many during his short career.  Willeto’s owls vary greatly in style, composition and color; it is unlikely that any two are exactly alike.

This particular owl was carved from a thick wood source as it measures 1-⅜” thick.  It appears to have been carved out of a tree trunk. It has a rough surface as the face of a tree trunk would appear.  The owl has a charming face with wide eyes and a long attached nose. The mouth was applied with paint. The body was exquisitely painted, most likely with commercial house paint.  The owl’s wings are folded in front as delineated by the wide red lines crossing the body. The feathers were indicated by placing white dots over black paint. The back of the body is painted in a similar manner.

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.

Medicine men experienced a lack of requests for healing and curing ceremonies after the government opened hospitals on the reservation.  As a result, Willeto found it necessary to create a source of income to support his family. He began carving folk art figures and, fortunately, Jack Beasley, a Farmington, New Mexico trader, appreciated them and purchased them from Willeto.  Beasley created a market for the cravings.

 In 1961, Willeto began creating these 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 during the four years that he produced them. Today, his works are included in prominent public and private collections including the Smithsonian and the Museum of International Folk Art.

Condition: this Diné Wood Carving of Wise Old Owl by Charlie Willeto is in excellent condition

Provenance: from the collection of Jack Beasley through a family member

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

Relative Links: Navajo Nation - Diné, Charlie Willeto