Gary Yazzie was raised on the Navajo reservation in Morenci, Arizona, and in Oklahoma. He was always interested in art, but had no formal training until he was thirty-two years old and made the decision to attend the American Academy of Art in Chicago.

After almost twenty years as a practicing artist, Gary’s paintings have been shown in numerous exhibitions, and can be found in museums and private collections. Gary’s great artistic strength lies in his drawing. His mediums include oil, watercolor, pastel, charcoal, and intaglio printmaking. His subject matter depicts the life and landscape of the Dine—the Navajo people.

For most of Gary’s art career he has had to depend on commissions, and he has said his work “has not been commercially successful,” yet he remains committed to his painting of Native American subject matter. One of his works won the Best of Show Award in its category at the 1996 New Mexico State Fair, and recently he was commissioned to paint a mural for the Denver International Airport, and also a large painting for the Albuquerque Academy. Gary also served on the committee to select art and furniture for the New Mexico State Capital Renovation Project.