Birds of a Feather
TONY ABEYTA
"Our relationship to birds has always been one of awe, rooted in their immense power and their connection to the skies. The birds I reference in “Birds of a Feather” are mythological. The Thunderbird, Waterbird, and Peyote Bird all hold deep respect and reverence among Native tribes. They appear throughout our art and stories of the skies, embodying relationships to the land, the celestial realm, and spiritual rituals that tell a colorful story of Indigenous belief systems. The surrounding flora, seed spores, lightning, and power are essential elements often assigned to the most fragile of winged beings. I chose to depict them surrounding the wearer of this shirt as protective icons. Guardians of beauty and their quiet strength".
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Tony Abeyta is a Diné (Navajo) contemporary artist, best known for his mixed media paintings and large-scale drawings. Tony is also an educator and curator whose focus is upon contemporary American Indian art of the 20th century.
He has widely exhibited, lectured, and served on numerous boards/panels for over three decades. Additionally, Tony is an avid collector of Native American and American art & design. Tony is an honored graduate of both the Institute of American Indian Art, Santa Fe, NM, and New York University, and, as a student, he studied abroad in both Italy and the south of France. His son and daughter have also studied and lived abroad extensively - having inherited their father's love of travel.
An acclaimed artist internationally, Tony’s work is primarily nature-based and tied to indigenous ritualism and personal interpretation of the American landscape (most notably inspired by the American Southwest). He employs oil & acrylic paints for his canvases and charcoal for his ambitious drawings. Tony is also a highly accomplished silversmith, no doubt inspired by his love of Navajo and Pueblo jewelry.
Tony currently lives and works primarily in both Santa Fe, NM, and Berkeley, CA.
