Benjamin Harjo Jr.

Benjamin Harjo Jr. (Absentee Shawnee/Seminole, 1945 –2023) was a Native American painter and printmaker based in Oklahoma.

The name Harjo means "crazy" in the Muskogee language, which was spoken by both the Muscogee and the Seminole. The word is part of a military title, Chitto Harjo, meaning "crazy snake".

Harjo's first passion was drawing comics, and he sold comics to his high school newspaper. Later, Harjo typically painted geometric forms composed of blocks of highly saturated colour that form both abstract and highly stylized representational figures. The mosaic nature of his painting is reminiscent of Seminole patchwork clothing. He also worked in pen and ink, allowing his comic influences to show through. Through printmaking, Harjo was able to experiment with texture and subtler palettes. His work is known for its humour, either in comical imagery or in witty titles.

His smallest miniature paintings were not much larger than postage stamp but still featured highly detailed portraits. Harjo's chosen media was gouache on paper, but he also used oil, acrylic, watercolor, conté crayons, pencil, pen and ink, pastel, printmaking, and occasionally sculpture.

Harjo said: "When you're traveling down the highway, you see an image whether it's dirt on the back of a truck or a splat on a windshield or two birds sitting by the side of the road picking at something. All those things have inspired me at some point in my creativity."