Quillwork and beadwork artist Anthony Hernandez, from the Shoshone Paiute Duck Valley Indian Reservation, Paddy Cap Band (Northern Paiute), has always been drawn to the arts. Like so many before him, he began by drawing when he was a child—exercising his creative intuition. But when he was introduced to beadwork by his aunt when he was 13 years old, emboldened to make a traditional dance ensemble for himself, his journey took him in an entirely new direction. 

Sun Star, quillwork, matte charlotte cut beads, 24k gold cut beads, wrapped beaded necklace

 

“I believe I’ve always been an artist,” shares Hernandez. “I always knew I wanted to pursue some kind of career in art because that’s just what felt right to me. In high school, I wanted to go to college for fashion design, but I didn’t take that route. When I learned to quill, that’s when I knew where 

I was meant to truly put my focus and time. It came naturally to me.”

Anthony Hernandez poses

 

Hernandez took an interest in quillwork as a young teen, but didn’t have the opportunity to learn until a bit later. “In 2016, I lived with Joseph Smith (Northern Paiute) for a short time. He’s an artist I was fortunate to know growing up the majority of my life,” says Hernandez. “He’s a talented artist all around; quillwork, beadwork, painting, leather work and plenty of other mediums. He taught me how to do quillwork, showed me the techniques and 

I [eventually] developed my own style.” 

Morning Star, various size 11 beads, 24k gold cut beads, wrapped beaded necklace

 

For those who are unfamiliar, quillwork is a traditional art form, very specific to North American Indigenous communities, and considered a form of embroidery. It involves the use of quills from porcupines that are soaked in water, flattened and dyed to the desired color. They are then attached to a surface by thread and manipulated into different designs, often accompanying beadwork. When Hernandez quills, his main technique is a straight band style with a zigzag stitch.

The artist has now been quilling for more than eight years. Today, he concentrates on contemporary designs with a bit of traditional influence intertwined, and is known for his sew down style. “I always do the best 

I can to make my work as clean and precise as possible,” he notes. “I get a lot of inspiration from old designs 

I see when studying old photographs, and from general life—[scenes] I come across day to day.”

Thunder Valley, quillwork on smoked buckskin, 24k gold bead and charlotte cut bead accents. Men’s size 10

 

Peshape Pookoo, quillwork, size 11 charlotte cut beads, 24k gold cut beads

 

This is the case for impressive works like his skull pendant, 24k Gold Dental. “[This] was a really fun piece for me,” he shares. “At the time, I was at the dentist just looking around before I was getting a cleaning. 

I noticed a sign mentioning a ‘24k gold dental crown’ and the idea sparked in my head to make a quilled skull with a 24k gold tooth. It’s a [design that was] a bit different to work on, but still one of my favorite pieces to date.”

The artist says that he works from his home studio, based in Fallon, Nevada. Here, he gathers references for his subject matter, varying from wildlife—like his favorite, the bull elk— to geometrics and florals. “I also enjoy making ‘ledger style’ medallions,” Hernandez says. “I have some horse and rider pieces I’ve been inspired to make based off of drawings I made back when I was in high school.” 

Old Elk, quillwork, 24k gold cut beads, size 11 cut beads, genuine bull elk ivory sets on earrings and beaded necklace

 

Another favorite subject matter for Hernandez has been the morning star, “especially after seeing the symbol used on an old Ghost Dance drum that had belonged to Wovoka, who was a prominent Paiute spiritual leader,” he says. For his appropriately titled medallion piece, Morning Star, a four-point star executed in purple, green and red, he continues to explain, “This medallion gave that design a contemporary flare with the colors and different mediums. I also used three different techniques of quillwork. Ultimately, I was just letting my creativity flow and expand with this piece.”

As a continuation of this flow state, Hernandez also created the medallion Sun Star, another beautiful star example made with eight points in orange and white. “This was really about putting a lot of focus towards precision and how I sewed the quills down,” he elaborates. “As a quillwork artist, precision is always a huge [objective]. I think that shows through a lot in this piece—the straight lines and sharp corners.”

Flying High, quillwork, various size 11 beads, wrapped beaded necklace 

 

24k Gold Dental, quilllwork, 24k gold charlotte cut beads, size 11 black charlotte cut beads, buckskin backing, 24k gold charlotte cut bead necklace

 

Besides medallions, Hernandez also varies his talents across other wearable art, like his men’s quillwork moccasins, Thunder Valley—made of smoked buckskin, 24k gold beads and charlotte cut bead accents. [These] were for a law student’s graduation,” says the artist. “He wanted a set of moccasins that represented his family and where he was from. My customer gave me a few specific ideas he had in mind but ultimately gave me freedom to create something unlike anything else for him. The design has the ‘Thunder Valley’ on each side of the moccasins, representing his homelands. The horses on the moccasins represent his family’s name, Blue Horse, and lastly, the design over the arch of the foot, ‘as above, so below,’ [pertains to] the duality of life.”

Collectors will find that earrings will often accompany some of Hernandez’s medallion pieces, as in the case of his elk medallion and earring set, Old Elk. “Initially, this set was just the earrings,” he shares. 

“I wanted to create a set of elk earrings that were a bit different than any other pair I had created. 

Sacred Buffalo, quillwork, 24k gold cut beads, size 11 charlotte cut beads, wrapped beaded necklace

 

Especially with the beaded band at the neck of the elk. A collector saw the set and fell in love with them. She wanted me to make a matching medallion to go along with it, and then, the full elk medallion came to life.”

The artist continues, “I wanted [the medallion] to match the earrings but also have its own look, so I gave it a realistic body—color wise. Many hours went into dying the quills to get the perfect shades I needed. It came out beautifully. I also used two sets of genuine bull elk ivory on the set of earrings and at the end of the beaded necklace for the medallion.”

Hernandez expects to be selling his work at the 2025 Santa Fe Indian Market this coming August. His work can also be found through his Instagram account: 

@Tsahgwiduh. While he continues to focus on wildlife pendants, he will soon unveil his Northern Paiute/Bannock style florals and roses as well. 

“I look forward to creating and expanding my work as an artist,” the artist adds. “I can’t wait to show the art community more of what I love to do, and hopefully inspire some people from back home on my reservation—show them, with my art, what’s possible.” —

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