b. 1965 -

Tony Abeyta is a Navajo (Diné) painter and jewelry designer who primarily paints landscapes. Born into a family of artists, he has received art degrees from institutions across the world. In his paintings, there are typically vast fields of texture and earth-toned color that evoke the designs of early Diné blankets and crosses. Abetya’s works also call upon prehistoric sensibilities of Indigenous design.

About Tony Abeyta

• Artist: Tony Abeyta


• Alias: Tony Abeyta


• Profession: Painter, jewelry designer


• Nationality: Native American

“There exists a rhythm in the land where I was born. I spend a lot of time deciphering the light, the cascades of mesas into canyons, the marriage between earth and sky and the light as it constantly changes at whim, the intensity of rock formations, and the sage and chamisa that accent this poetic experience, unlike anywhere else I have seen. I am beckoned to remember it and then to paint it.”

Tony Abeyta

Tony Abeyta is a Navajo (Diné) painter and jewelry designer best known for his landscape paintings. Among Abeyta’s notable works is his 2022 painting Autumn’s Imminent Arrival, which depicts rows of mountains, plants, and houses in green and sand-like colors against a bright blue sky.

Born in Gallup, New Mexico to Diné painter Narciso "Ciso" Platero Abeyta and Quaker ceramicist Sylvia Ann, Abeyta is the youngest of three children. He holds degrees from the Institute of American Indian Arts, New York University, the Maryland Institute College of Art, and the Santa Fe Art Institute. Outside the United States, Abeyta has also studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lacoste, France and the Studio Arts Center International in Florence, Italy.

Abeyta’s paintings often include the vast fields of texture and earth-toned color found in early Diné crosses and blankets. His works typically share commonalities with the prehistoric sensibilities of Indigenous design. He uses mixed media in his paintings and works in oil, charcoal, acrylic, and silversmithing. In Abeyta's work, he sometimes focuses on Diné deities such as the Yei-be-chai and Pueblo Kachinas.

Related Styles and Movements

• Jewelry Design


• Landscape Painting


• Mixed Media Art

Highlights and Achievements

• In 2012, Abeyta received the New Mexico Governor’s Excellence in the Arts award.


• That same year, he received the Living Treasure award from the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, New Mexico.


• His undated painting Autumn Rains sold for $33,000 in November 2020 via the Santa Fe Art Auction.

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