Seldon Harvey~
Weaving Worlds

Chimayo Trading Staff Report | June 2026

A member of the Red Running Into Water Clan, Sheldon Harvey, is a Navajo-Diné artist born in 1978 in Lukachukai, Arizona. Harvey’s work spans painting, sculpture, and mixed media, reflecting his deep connection to Navajo creation stories, spirituality, and cultural identity. His innovative style, which incorporates elements of cubism, expressionism, and abstraction, has earned him international acclaim, with pieces in collections across the United States, Europe, and Asia.

See new works from Sheldon Harvey along with more of Harvey’s contemporary Native American art that blends traditional Navajo storytelling with modern artistic techniques at Chimayo Trading in Ranchos de Taos, or online at chimayotrading.com.

“Stormy Night”
Oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 2026
30″ x 24″
$4950

Harvey’s artistic journey began in his childhood on the Navajo reservation in northeast Arizona, near the Four Corners. Raised in a small community, he was immersed in Diné traditions, including the creation stories of the First World Air-Spirit Beings, which would later become central to his work.

“Dancing By The Fire”
Wood, Mixed Media, 2026
30″ x 40″ x 7″
$7800

Trained as a medicine man by his grandfather and great-grandfather, Harvey also harbored a passion for art from a young age. His uncle, Aaron Harvey, taught him to paint, while his grandfather, Leo Harvey, a silversmith, and Videl Nez, a mentor at Diné College, provided significant inspiration.

Although Harvey studied fine arts at Diné College in Tsaile, Arizona, he considers himself largely self-taught, attributing his talents to early familial guidance. His exposure to Navajo sandpaintings, weavings, and Yei-Be-Che dances fueled his creative vision, which seeks to preserve and reinterpret ancient Navajo folklore for modern audiences.

“The Sacred Four”
Wood and Mixed Media, 2026
14.5″ x 34.5″ x 4″
$3950

Harvey’s work is a fusion of traditional and contemporary, drawing heavily from Navajo cosmogony and mythology. His paintings, created in acrylics and oils, range from representational to symbolic, often depicting spirit beings from the Navajo creation myth, such as the insect-like Air-Spirit Beings of the First World.

His mixed media sculptures, crafted from wood, metal, feathers, yucca, and other natural materials, embody Navajo folklore with a modern twist, evoking both reverence and innovation.

“Yéí”
Wood, Mixed Media
25.25″ x 14.5″ x 7.5″
$2800

His art often explores universal themes of creation, identity, and humanity’s place in the cosmos. In a 2022 interview with The Taos News, Harvey articulated his mission:

“In the late 1990s and early 2000s, I observed people consumed with wealth and wars, prosperous and poor, getting lost. They didn’t understand or question where they came from. When I started making art, I wanted to bring back traditional values of humanity in my work.”

“Water Bird” (Anhinga)
Oil on board
20″ x 16″
$3300

Harvey cites Navajo artists R.C. Gorman and Dan Namingha as influences, alongside European artists like Piet Mondrian and Paul Klee, whose modernist styles resonate in his use of cubism and abstraction.

“Yéí”
Wood, Mixed Media
32.5″ x 14.5″ x 8.5″
$2800

“His work is the merging of different cultures. There are traditional Navajo themes with very interesting Picasso-like aspects of cubism and expressionism.” ~Gabriel Abrums

“Fire Dwellers”
Oil on gallery wrapped canvas
40″ x 30″
$5400

Sheldon Harvey’s art is more than a visual experience; it is a dialogue between past and present, tradition and innovation, Navajo spirituality and universal humanity. Through his paintings and sculptures, he articulates a life rooted in Diné values while reaching across cultures to share stories that resonate with all.

“Flickering Scintillations”
Oil on board
20″ x 16″
$3800

As he continues to create and inspire, Harvey remains a vital force in Native American art, carrying forward the legacy of his ancestors with every brushstroke and carving.

“Yéí”
Wood, Mixed Media
30″ x 15″ x 8″
$2600

“Portrait Of Kiyaunubah”
A collaborative piece by Sheldon Harvey and his daughter Kiyaunubah Harvey
Oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 2026
24” x 24”
$2400

If you have enjoyed our newsletters and learning about the artists and artwork we represent, or if you’ve had a good experience visiting our gallery, please take a moment to let us know by leaving a review using the links below.

Come to the gallery to see where History Meets Art in Taos..

#1 Saint Francis Church Plaza
Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557

575.758.0504

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Contact us directly to discuss and evaluate your collection. If you’re an artist, contact us about the possibility of selling your art on consignment or direct wholesale purchase.

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