Adobe Gallery Blog
Navajo Boy and Girl with Fawns by Harrison Begay - C3788G
Navajo painter Harrison Begay (1914-2012) was one of the most well-known students of the Santa Fe Indian School, where he was educated from 1934 to 1940. He received a great deal of international acclaim during his long career, and was one of the first Native American artists to support himself financially with his artwork. Begay enjoyed a long career as a prolific creator of "flat-style" watercolor paintings, celebrating beauty and serenity with a warm and inviting color palette.
With the intent to share Navajo and Pueblo paintings with a wider audience, Begay and printer Charles Barrows started a silkscreen business called Tewa Enterprises. Tewa reproduced Begay's work and that of many of his contemporaries, including Gerald Nailor and J.D. Roybal. Begay was uniquely qualified to enter the printing business, and was able to sell high-quality prints at reasonable prices. Tewa's prints are still readily available from a variety of sources, and are desirable because of their connection to the artist himself.