View source for Native American Artist Tonya Rafael Visits Ponca City

[[Image:010 Tonya Rafael 04-05-2018.jpg|thumb|right|550px|One of the artists who my wife met many years ago is New Mexico Native American Jewelry Artist Tonya Rafael. My wife and Tonya worked together over the years creating new jewelry art pieces. My wife had an eye for color and would often design a spectacular piece and ask Tonya to execute it for her. A skilled silversmith, Tonya would sometimes stay in our guest house, set up a workshop, and work for days at a time on a Squash Blossom, Bolo, or Bracelet my wife commissioned.]]
[[Image:011 Tonya Rafael 04-05-2018.jpg|thumb|right|550px|The piece is a silver picture frame that Tonya cut out of thick silver plate. Around the edge of the picture frame are 95 small turquoise stones. In the top is a large spiny oyster stone in the shape of a heart. The frame contains a photo that Tonya took of my wife a few years ago. Dr. Pickens is wearing one of her favorite outfits and if you look closely you can see a special squash blossom and necklace that Tonya created for my wife. In the bottom of the frame is an inscription.]]
My wife and I have met many artists over the years as we have acquired art by Oklahoma and Native American painters, sculptors, and jewelry artists. Each opportunity to acquire a new piece has almost always afforded us the opportunity to meet the artist and make new friends. In our experience, it is much more enriching to meet and talk to an artist who has created a painting, sculpture, or jewelry that you love than to just buy a piece in a gallery.
==Native American Artist Tonya Rafael Visits Ponca City==
My wife and I have met many artists over the years as we have acquired art by Oklahoma and Native American painters, sculptors, and jewelry artists. Each opportunity to acquire a new piece has almost always afforded us the opportunity to meet the artist and make new friends. In our experience, it is much more enriching to meet and talk to an artist who has created a painting, sculpture, or jewelry that you love than to just buy a piece in a gallery.

One of the artists who my wife met many years ago is New Mexico Native American Jewelry Artist Tonya Rafael. My wife and Tonya worked together over the years creating new jewelry art pieces. My wife had an eye for color and would often design a spectacular piece and ask Tonya to execute it for her. A skilled silversmith, Tonya would sometimes stay in our guest house, set up a workshop, and work for days at a time on a Squash Blossom, Bolo, or Bracelet my wife commissioned.

So it was with particular pleasure that Tonya and her sister Celia paid me a visit yesterday and today. Tonya was delivering some of the last pieces that my wife designed. and they are stunning. They will have special place in Doctor Pickens Museum of Turquoise Jewelry.

But I was dealt a surprise today as Tonya presented me a gift she created as a memorial to Doctor Pickens. The piece is a silver picture frame that Tonya cut out of thick silver plate. Around the edge of the picture frame are 95 small turquoise stones. In the top is a large spiny oyster stone in the shape of a heart. The frame contains a photo that Tonya took of my wife a few years ago. Dr. Pickens is wearing one of her favorite outfits and if you look closely you can see a special squash blossom and necklace that Tonya created for my wife. In the bottom of the frame is inscribed the following:

Your Presence We Miss, 

Your Memory We Treasure Forever. 

Doctor S. J. Pickens . 

6/11/44 - 10/21/2017

It goes without saying that Doctor Pickens Museum of Turquoise Jewelry will be displaying many pieces of Tonya's art in the museum in the coming years. It also goes without saying that I will be continuing to commission new pieces by Tonya for the museum.

April 25, 2018

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