Featured Artist: Upton "Greyshoes" Ethelbah Jr.

Greyshoes is the artistic pseudonym of Upton Ethelbah Jr., an acclaimed sculptor who has won multiple 1st place awards from such prestigious shows as the Santa Fe Indian Market, Heard Museum Indian Fair and Market, Autry Museum Masters of the American West, and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture’s Native Treasures Art Market.

Greyshoes' sculptures are contemporary, stylized, and brimming with movement, drawing inspiration from the aesthetic motifs found in the ceremonial regalia and dances of his Native American heritage (Santa Clara Pueblo and White Mountain Apache). His works include representations of Apache crown dancers, Pueblo corn, deer, elk, antelope, buffalo dancers, pan-American Matachines, as well as "essentialized" Native American medicine bears and various sacred animals.

Greyshoes exclusively uses stone in his sculptures, including both exotic and domestic marble, limestone, alabaster, and onyx. Some one-of-a-kind stone originals are then chosen to be cast in bronze in limited editions, featuring patinas in a variety of colors, patterns, and textures.

Greyshoes holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of New Mexico, is a graduate of the Poeh Arts Center sculpture program, and was mentored by notable sculptors such as Evelyn Fredericks, Clifford Fragua, Robert Dale Tsosie, George Rivera, and Nelson Tsosie. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Southwest Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA)—the producers of the Santa Fe Indian Market—from 2002-2003