Peter Shelton Jr. (Hoyesva) – Large Hemiskatsina

Peter Shelton Jr., Hopi name Hoyesva, was a renowned painter and katsina artist. He was born in 1920 and passed in 1992. He and his brother, Henry Shelton, were important figures in the history of Hopi art. As noted by Greg Schaaf in his book on Hopi katsina carvers, “In the 1970s Peter created a series of finely crafted Katsina dolls. He contributed to the development of a more realistic style with greater detail…” His paintings and katsinam are in many museums including the Smithsonian, Heard, and Museum of Northern Arizona. This figure is quite large at 15 3/4″ tall and 5″ wide. It is signed on the bottom of the left foot, “Hoyesva,” which means quite poetically “wherever the arrow lands.” It appears his right hand formerly held a rattle. From a California collection.