Virtual Art Tour

Tony Abeyta, Native American, born 1966

Evening Embers

Tony Abeyta grew up in Gallup, N.M. with parents who were both artists. His mother was a ceramicist and his father a well-known painter, who first taught Tony how to use and mix his paints. After studying with his father, Abeyta went on to study at the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, Maryland Institute's College of Art in Baltimore, the Chicago Art Institute, as well as in southern France and Florence, Italy.

Since 1988, at the SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market, Abeyta has won titles such as Best in Division, Best in Class and first, second and third place honors. His work has been exhibited nationwide and is included in numerous museums including the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Abeyta's biographical sketch from the Tony Abeyta Gallery in Taos, N.M., explains that he "creates a powerful range of contemporary paintings. He explores different mediums such as oil and monotype creating a variety of pieces including charcoal drawings, large scale oil and sand paintings, and abstract mixed media pieces incorporating encaustic wax, copper and printmaking. His individual style incorporates bold colors, rich textures and representations of Navajo deities.

His art is in constant transition and he claims "painting for me leaves no stone unturned within its context. I experiment with images, techniques and mediums, translating paint into an image both personal and spiritual." Using sand to build paint into richly textured layers the artist achieves a dramatic sculptural dimension. He also values drawing in black and white. All art forms begin with this essential, preliminary medium.