YouTube Video of Native American Museum Quality Masks.
NativeExpressionsArt YouTube Channel
Becky Olvera Schultz creates contemporary art in the Native American and Southwestern theme, specializing in Native American style masks and Southwestern style masks. Her Native themed masks are not wearable or ceremonial but are her personal representation of indigenous peoples made of clay, painted and adorned. They may be described as portrait masks as they are very life-like. Her masks are her original sculptures and are not made from castings taken off the face of a person. She takes great care in detail when creating these masks so that they are as realistic and life-like as possible. Even when producing editions, no two art pieces are ever exactly alike.
Becky’s body of art work also includes Southwest themed clay and gourd masks, two dimensional mixed media works, serigraphs, rawhide shields, dolls, wall plaques, digital/photographic works and collage/photo transfers. She is significantly known for her Native American style masks which have been the primary focus of her museum exhibits.
Becky is of mixed blood, southern Italian from her mother and Mexican Indian (Azteca/Kickapoo) from her father. Born in El Paso, Texas Becky spent her infant and toddler years in New Mexico as a military brat at Alamogordo/White Sands Army Air Force Base. She spent her childhood and young adult years in Southern California but the last several years she has made her home in Santa Cruz County on the north central coast of California.
Her Southwestern beginning would eventually influence her artistic expression. She credits much of her natural talent to her parents, both very creative people. She has traveled extensively in the Southwestern and Northwestern states to learn more about the native cultures of which she is so fond. Her own indigenous bloodline, natural talent, research, and travel experiences have brought about her specific style of artwork.
Originally an art major in college, Becky did not resume her art career until early 1993, shortly after the death of her brother, who was her only sibling. She experienced a centering working the wet rawhide of the drum and soon began creating with clay. Motivated by grief and reflecting on her own life, she found working with clay to be a healing and satisfying experience. Encouraged and supported by family and friends, she began marketing and exhibiting her art and experimenting in different mediums. Her background in advertising and public relations greatly aided her in promoting her art.
An award winning artist, her work has been represented in galleries in California, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington, Illinois, Montana, Michigan, Arizona, New York, Colorado and Oregon. She has participated in hundreds of exhibitions, including international and national juried shows. She has six solo museum exhibitions to her credit. Her masks are in private collections in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
Becky’s art has been in featured numerous daily and weekly newspapers and in the international magazines of Cowboys & Indians, Native Peoples and Wild West Magazine.
Becky’s more recent project has been photographing Native American powwow dancers and other indigenous individuals for her photo and serigraph Contemporary Indigenous Portrait Series. Her dramatic art images are also available on mouse pads, t-shirts, note cards, puzzle tins and photo prints.
See more of her art at Native Expressions, MarinScope Community Newspapers Archive and Wild West Magazine.
