Juanita (Jenni) Wyatt is a first-generation Mexican-American-Yaqui Indian. She embraces customary American ideals, but also draws from and shares her traditional Hispanic and Yaqui values in her art. Whether a piece represents her Hispanic heritage, reveals her spirit and femininity as a woman, or reflects her love of the beach and the ocean, Juanita tries to capture a memory or a feeling in each of her works.

Well versed in various media, Juanita excels in two that are near opposites: oils and charcoal. The colors she attains with oils and the clean lines and details she achieves with pencils and charcoal are remarkable. Many of Juanita’s works tell a story as they reflect memories from growing up as a Mexican-American-Yaqui Indian in Tucson, Arizona. Other pieces show her American side as a beautiful, strong-willed woman accepting the challenges of life. Many of Juanita’s works are scenes from places she remembers and loves, such as the beach, cantinas, fiestas, and Yaqui celebrations of life; most of her works include a beautiful woman.

Juanita was educated at the University of Arizona with degrees in art and Spanish and taught for 21 years in many venues, including Chesterfield County Schools. Although she left teaching to pursue her real passion of creating art, she stays in touch with her instructional roots by occasionally teaching seminars. Juanita creates mostly gallery art, but accepts commissions on request.