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Native American Artists: JewelersBruce Hodgins, Silver-GoldsmithL. Bruce Hodgins was born in Flagstaff, Arizona, in 1959 to a Navajo mother and an Anglo father. Bruce’s mother, Mary Hunt Dodge Hodgins from the Toadlena / Crystal area of New Mexico, was related to the great Chee Dodge. His father worked as an educator and school principal on southwestern reservations, spending 25 years at Hopi, where Bruce studied with Sidney Secakuku, Jr., and learned authentic overlay techniques. He added traditional Navajo styles, later working into contemporary pieces that incorporate both Hopi and Navajo characteristics. Today Bruce has evolved into a master silversmith. He crafts Indian jewelry using heavy-gauge silver and unusual stones. Diverse in his abilities, Bruce does all work from design to finish himself. Each piece is individually designed with a classic simplicity that meshes harmony, balance, color, texture, contrasts, repetition, shape, form, tradition, and innovation. His work is part of the permanent collection at the Arizona State Museum. An avid outdoorsman, Bruce enjoys hunting, fishing, exploring the backcountry, and riding his mountain bike. He lives with his wife, artist Rita Alexander-Hodgins, and two dogs and a cat. He has won numerous awards from many distinguished sources: Eiteljorg Museum
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“My ideas come from many places,” says Bruce. “Often I combine traditional with contemporary styles and mix techniques in a subtle way. Our Earth provides many colored stones to use and enjoy and I take advantage of those differences in much of my work. My use of turquoise has been limited in recent years because of my attraction to exotic and domestic stone.” 
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