Biography: 

 

     Mark Silversmith is a full-blood Navajo, who was born near Manuelito (NM). Mark graduated from Wingate (NM) High school & received his B.A. degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He resides in Farmington (NM). Mark has been a teacher, & since 1982 he has been a full-time artist. Mark works in acrylic, watercolor, pastel, pencil, prismacolor, stone & prints.
     Mark considers himself a Southwest artist, rather than an Indian artist. Mark paints Indian subjects of Navajo & other tribal traditions. Mark says, "My main motivation is not just my family & art, but being a christian as well. without it, I don't know what I would have done."
     Mark has exhibited his artwork extensively & won numerous awards at the Aspen/Snowmass (CO) Celebration for the American Indian, the Cherokee National Museum (Tahlequah, OK), the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market (Phoenix, AZ), the Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonials (Gallup, NM), the South Dallas (TX) Cultural Center's New Harmony: American Indian Art Festival, the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts' Indian Market (Santa Fe, NM) & the Totah Festival (Farmington, NM).
     Mark's artwork is featured in numerous private & public art collections including those of Harley-Davidson, Hewlett-Packard, Southwest Bank (Gallup, NM) & Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He has received commissions for paintings for awards for the Rocky Mountain Quality conference, for a promotional card for the American Endangered species Foundation & for the 1988 Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonials poster. In 1986, Mark was honored as the Artist of the Year by the American Indian & Cowboy Artists National Western Art Exhibition (San Dimas, CA).