Marian Denipah - Navajo / Tewa

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With a father from the Navajo Nation and a mother from the San Juan Pueblo, Marian grew up sharing in both cultures. In high school, she pursued her first interest in art: painting portraits. At the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, Marian studied painting, photography, modern dance and ballet. She received her degree in Fine Arts from Northern Arizona University. Marian worked for many years with Navajo silversmith, Ric Charlie, one of the masters of tufa casting.

 

"I think of the jewelry as little paintings in stone," says Marian."Although jewelry is more graphic-we can work with texture and design to bring more depth to a piece."

Her distinctive jewelry uses traditional native designs, like petroglyphs, dragonflies, butterflies, hummingbirds and turtles. The designs are often set with precious and semi-precious stones and many look like small sculptures, and Marian includes a surprise in many of her pieces: an etching of a hummingbird on the inside of the bracelet. Always wanting to experiment and try new techniques, Marian also works alongside her husband Steve Wikviya La Rance, of Hopi.