Portrait of Citizen Wearing Green Velvet

Carefully carved from a single black of wood, paint as well as stains have been applied, giving added depth and realism to the figure's sun-tanned features.  A pate of machine stitched synthetic hair has been flued to the cranium and pulled back into a Navajo wrap.  Green and black velvet were glued and nailed to the bust as clothing.

With his hair combed back and tied in a traditional Tsiiyeel, the beautifully carved face of this handsome Dineh Navajo man possesses emotional complexity.  One sees stoicism and kindness as well as engaged understanding in his dark eyes.

Born in 1930 in Decatur, Illinois, Wakefield moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1954 and to Phoenix, Arizona in 1964. He became known for his humorous wood carvings of primarily cowboys and American Indians.

At one time his wood carvings were shown at Kennedy Art Galleries in New York and at Overland Trail Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Wakefield was a member of the Arizona Woodcarvers Association and the National Woodcarvers Association.  His carvings won Best of Show in a competition staged by the Arizona Woodcarvers as well as a top carver award in Southern California.

A publication titled "Top Hand" illustrated the latest of 30 different bronzes by Wakefield, most cast from his original wood carvings.  This distinctive artist died in 2003.