Justin Tso's award-winning opaque watercolors depict ancient tales and traditions of the Navajo people. Like his predecessors, Harrison Begay and Beatien Yazz, Tso devotes himself exclusively to the stylized paintings of his tribe, for he believes that they represent an essential art form -one that has all but disappeared in recent years.

Tso is a serious and dedicated artist who is constantly working to improve his technique and mastery of color. Although he prefers to work in opaque watercolor, he occasionally uses other media such as oil and casein. Tso had been painting and exhibiting seriously for nearly eight years, but has devoted himself full time to his art for the last several years. This full time commitment has allowed him to create a large body of work for his growing list of clients and galleries.

Tso (pronounced So) was born in the Canyon de Chelly in 1948. He attended schools in Chinle, Arizona; Gallup, New Mexico; and Lawton, Oklahoma, and later served in the armed forces for three years before completing his education at I.T.C. in San Francisco, California, and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Although he studied art briefly in the public schools he attended, Tso is almost entirely self-taught. Few artists outside his culture have exerted any real influence on his style or subject matter.

In the last few years, Tso has attracted growing attention from serious collectors and critics of Indian art. He has had several one-man shows and has exhibited throughout the Southwest and on the West Coast. Recently, he participated in an auction sponsored by the Houston Oilers - the Ronald McDonald House Auction. Tso is represented by galleries in Arizona, New Mexico and California.

Currently Tso, his wife, Evelyn, and their children reside in Chinle, Arizona, where he remains close to the traditions and lifestyle that inspire his art.