Willetos

Charlie Willeto

Master Outsider Artist

Charlie Willeto (1900-1964) produced all his work between 1961-1964 in the Bitsi Badlands area of New Mexico. His work was shown at the Museum of Navajo Ceremonial Art in 1975 (now the Wheelwright Museum of Santa Fe.) He used scrap lumber such as 2 x 4's and 2 x 6's, cedar and pinon limbs and trunks, using housepaint for the coloration.

CRADLEBOARD DOLL

NAVAJO CRADLE-BOARD DOLL. Carved from cedar or pinon wood and painted with Willeto's typical colors of orange black and white. Height is 18.5 inches by 5.5 inches wide and 2.5 inches thick. Good bright paint. Old New Mexico collection. Price $3800.00

See Page 63 in Collective Willeto.

NAVAJO HOLDING SNAKE

MAN WITH RATTLE SNAKE IN HIS ARMS, probably one of Willeto's early carvings. Carved of cedar or pinon wood and painted with a shiny red paint and a soft black and white. With a Greg LaChapplle inventory number GL-614. Previously sold here in the Willeto Show in 1995. SOLD

HANDS-UP SPIRIT FIGURE

SPIRIT FIGURE, carved from a 2x4 board. This is the iconic "Spirit Figure" Willeto in known for. Painted with the typical orange, white and black it has some faded green paint. Originally sold here in the gallery in the early 90's. Height 17.5 inches. SOLD