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Upton Ethelbah, Jr., a.k.a. Greyshoes, began
working as a sculptor at the age of 54. Today, his award-winning
sculptures are collectors' items. Ethelbah's first bronze,
"Pueblo Corn Dancer," was judged best contemporary
Native American art work at the Colorado
Springs Fine Arts Center in 1999. He is now working on
a seven-foot high, three-ton Texas limestone sculpture representing
Santa
Clara Pueblo, which was commissioned for the Poeh
Arts Center at Pojoaque
Pueblo. Ethelbah works exclusively in stone: soapstone,
limestone, alabaster, and marble. "My goal is to work
in stone for the next 30 years. At some time in the future,
because of age, I may need to roll over to wood or clay, but
my goal is to continue to work in stone." After a lifelong
career in education and social work, Ethelbah, a Viet Nam
era veteran of the U.S. Navy, traded pen and paper for sculpting
tools after a friend presented him with a chunk of red and
green alabaster. In finding subject matter for his carvings,
Ethelbah draws on his Apache and Pueblo heritage to create
images that have Native American themes. Although he calls
Santa Clara Pueblo home, Ethelbah now lives in Albuquerque,
New Mexico. He is a 1961 graduate of Sandia high school, a
1971 graduate of the University of New Mexico and a 2000 graduate
of the Poeh Arts Center. Ethelbah now serves as Chairman of
the Board of Directors for the Southwest Association for Indian
Arts (SWAIA),
which produces the Santa
Fe Indian Market. Greyshoes has two talented sons, Upton
III (30) who is a rock musician in Austin, Texas (www.daffodilmusic.com)
and makes his living as a graphic designer (www.unitydesign.net),
and Lucas Kwa-ay (25) who has a culinary arts degree and plies
his craft at the Chocolate Maven in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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