Photo by Nolan Madden Snowflake artist Robert Yellowhair will display some of his famed prints and originals, and relate the stories that inspired them from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12, at the historic Holbrook Train Depot.
By Nolan Madden Multi-talented Native American artist Robert Yellowhair is esteemed by many as a local celebrity, and deservedly so. His works and contributions are recognized throughout the country, and he was recently honored by his hometown of Snowflake, which declared Oct. 27 as Robert Yellowhair Day. He is set to exhibit as featured artist this week at the Holbrook Depot Art Show. One of Robert’s artistic secrets seems to be that his paintbrush never rests; he was lately commissioned for a large-scale portrait of the Town of Snowflake, a montage of its founding pioneers and milestones from the year 1886 to the present, to be hung at town hall. In true Navajo fashion, he explains how his work ethic was passed down to him. “My father told me, ‘You’ve got 10 fingers,’” he said, pointing at his fingertips. “This one, the thumb, is the chief. He makes all the moves, controlling the four. If you learn how to use it, and control it with your mind, then you can do anything with them. I’ve taught all ten of mine to do certain things,” his father said. Robert related proudly that he has mastered a number of his own skills over the past seven decades, including training horses, rodeo riding, silversmithing, leathersmithing, painting, pottery and basketweaving. He also recalls that while his hometown was still active with cowboys and wagon trains during the era of his youth, his first trip to Holbrook as a boy felt as though he had visited a different world. “I first visited Holbrook in 1946, I think. My father knew that I never went to town, so he decided to take me, and my mother, too. When I got there, I saw some amazing things that I thought didn’t exist, like a bicycle, and the train,” said Robert. “When the car we rode in drove up to our house, I was walking around it to see why this thing was running without a horse. All the travel we did was by horse. ‘How is it possible that such a machine can move on its own?’ that’s what I was thinking.” He continued, “We left in the evening, when it was starting to get dark, and I saw some of the houses, the streets and the neon signs, they were flashing different colors. “I thought that was neat,” he smiled. “When I got home, I told all the kids what I saw, and they didn’t believe me. They said, “Ah, you just had a big dream.”” Robert still conveys the vivid imagery of his memories onto canvas, and offers private lessons to aspiring painters. “Many people ask me if I give lessons. Yes, I charge $50 an hour,” he said. “My theory is: you can go to art school for two, three years, and somebody who is taught through education is teaching you how to paint. You study a lot about the history of art. But I taught myself. When you learn from me, we wipe out knowledge and education of art; my lessons are about action.” He explained, “I will show you how to paint, how to use certain techniques and how to get ahead. Everything that you’ve learned about art in college over three years, I will wipe it away in four hours. You’ll learn how to paint.”
