BR42 Baje Whitethorne
Edgewater Fan Dancer by Navajo artist Baje Whitethorne. This 21” x 11” x 11” bronze is in an edition of 2/30.
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About the artist
Baje Whitethorne, Sr
Baje Whitethorne, Sr. grew up on the western Navajo Reservation near Shonto, Arizona and is best known for his paintings of traditional performers and of remembered landscapes from his 1950’s childhood in the Black Mesa area of northern Arizona. His was a traditional Navajo childhood, in which he lived in a hogan, rode horses and herded sheep and attended boarding school, until his early teens. At that point, he went to live with a non-Indian family in Tuba City while he attended high school, then went on to Grand Canyon College. He attended Tuba City High School, Arizona; University of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff; Grand Canyon College, Phoenix; and Boilermaker National Apprenticeship Program in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
He worked as a boilermaker until 1978, when he began building his career as a professional watercolorist working professionally as an artist since 1981. He continues to include Navajo themes in his paintings and sculptures that have been exhibited in museums across the United States and around the world. His interests are storytelling and art. He says his artwork reflects his homeland and rich culture. He does landscapes and other paintings showing harmony of the Navajo way of life.
As a child, he was first drawn into the world of storytelling when he and his brothers would make up stories on the way to their grandmother's house. His talent for art was apparent even in grade school, and his teachers were all supportive of his gift.
Baje is married, has three children and one grandchild. Currently, Baje resides in Flagstaff, Arizona, and he continues to pursue his childhood interests of storytelling and art. His artwork reflects his homeland and rich culture, depicting striking landscapes and the harmony of the Navajo way of life. In most of his pieces is a small folding chair, popularly regarded as Baje's personal trademark.
"When I was a boy, my parents and grandparents brought home a new card table with six metallic blue chairs. In the summer months, I would put my face against the cool seat of the chairs. Now, I include the chair in my artwork because it reminds me of my boyhood and because it draws people into my artwork when they try to find it."
He has been extensively published in regional magazines and books and Baje has illustrated eight children's books, two of which he also authored. Among them are the Native American legends Monster Bird, Monster Slayer, and Sika and the Raven.
His unique style has earned him the Western Heritage Wrangler Award from the Cowboy Hall of Fame, in addition to many other honors. His awards are too numerous to list here but include Best in Oil Painting, 1st awards, Best of Show, Best of Division and many others.
Baje's artwork can be seen at various museums, art galleries, and private collections across the globe.
