Untitled Collage of Navajo Yei Mask [SOLD]

This is an amazing combination of materials, colors and dimensions.  The artist, W. B. Franklin, has portrayed the face and torso of a Yei Supernatural Deity.  It appears that some of the materials are fabric, paper, cardboard, gold-leaf, and paint.  It is a true work of art in material and color.  It is signed in lower right and dated 1997.

W. B. Franklin (b.1947 – present) was born on the Navajo Reservation at Ganado, Arizona, but attended high school in San Francisco and college at the University of Northern Arizona.  He is a Sociologist and energy planner by occupation, became a silversmith, and in 1977 switched to paints and canvas.  He has been a full-time painter since 1986.  He was selected to be the poster artist for the 1994 Indian Market.

Condition: original condition

Recommended Reading:  The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters by Patrick D. Lester

Provenance: from the collection of Marvin and Betty Rubin of Albuquerque

TAGS: W. B. Franklin, Navajo Nation, Native American Paintings