This artist grew up steeped in the traditional Navajo culture and learned to speak its language. (No small task considering that James Little was born without one ear with the other seriously impaired.) Drawing on childhood memories as a painter selects colors from a palette, Little’s jewelry designs are often imbued with ears of corn, shooting stars, and legends told to him by Navajo medicine men.
Taught the silversmith arts by an acknowledged master, Kenneth Begay, Little rose above his hearing loss handicap to become an award-winning master jeweler. “Like the diamonds he sets in gold as evening-sky comets, James Little is a shooting star among Native American jewelry artists,” says Roberta Landsman in Phoenix Home & Garden.
Renowned for sophisticated, contemporary designs, his eagerly-sought after creations are fashioned from gold with dramatic highlights of diamonds and other precious gems as well as the more traditional turquoise and coral.
The artist credits Lovena Ohl, grand aunt of gallery director Bill Faust, for much of his success. Featuring his work prominently in her Scottsdale gallery, Ohl also introduced him to collectors. “I called her my grandmother,” says Little. “She changed my life.” |
