Larson Lee

Larson Lee (Navajo) was born in 1960 in Lukachukai, AZ on the Navajo Reservation. He is one of twelve children; he has 4 sisters and 7 brothers. His grandfather Joe Lee was a well known silversmith and medicine man. As a small child Larson would travel across the country dancing at pow-wows with his grandfather as far away as San Francisco to Chicago. There is a large drawing of his grandfather (Joe Lee) in a museum in San Francisco, as well as post cards of him sitting in a Hogan (Navajo house). Larson used to watch his grandfather design and create his sterling silver jewelry pieces as a child. Later when Larson went off to school, he took classes in general silver working techniques. He used brass at first to practice, he started with small pieces and worked up to larger and more intricate pieces. He inherited not only the skills and inspiration from his grandfather but his tools of the trade when he passed. Larson has designed everything from boot tips to a belt buckle for Bob Hope. His work can be seen in the 1989 summer issue of National Geographic magazine where they featured Native American Jewelry and a squash blossom he made. He is not limited to just working with silver, he likes to design pieces in gold also. He keeps tradition and modern design in mind when he creates individual unique pieces using his native artistic skills. Larson hobbies include dirt bike riding, working on muscle cars and bronco riding in Native American Rodeos. He also enjoys running 22 miles up the mountain near his home at least 2-3 times a month.