Wilmer Kaye, Hopi, is known
for the perfection of his Katsina dolls and sculptures. Willard
Loloma, Kaye's uncle, taught him to carve when he was only a
teen. Wilmer is also the nephew of famed Hopi jeweler, Charles
Loloma.
Kaye continued to carve after
he completed high school, while working in constuction as a mason.
Kaye uses only a pocket knife for his carvings and uses both
paint and stains. He rubs linseed oil into the wood to bring
out the grain and preserve the wood.
Kaye works on one Katsina
doll at a time, so that he can concentrate and make it look the
best it can, before beginning a new doll. Kaye's intricate carvings
have won many awards and have been seen on the cover of Arizona
Highways magazine.
