About Walela Studios
Our studio, Walela Studios, is Cherokee/Choctaw owned, founded by Layne and Chris Polzin. Together, we create art and jewelry with meaning, inspired by my Cherokee wife and partner, Walela, and by the shared heritage, spirit, and beauty of Native culture and nature.
Each piece we create tells a story—of endurance, identity, and reverence for the land and ancestors. Our goal is to share contemporary Native art that carries traditional roots, bridging generations through color, symbolism, and storytelling.
About the Artist — Layne Polzin
Layne Polzin’s art is deeply rooted in the landscapes and stories that have shaped his life. From his early years sketching on the wide prairies of Colorado, to his time in the Arizona White Mountains, and now life with his Native American wife here in Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma, every brushstroke carries echoes of place, ancestry, and experience.
At a defining moment in Arizona, under the mentorship of Michaelis “Sonny” Burnham (Navajo/Hopi), Layne discovered how art can transcend the canvas—becoming both personal expression and cultural storytelling. His early immersion in acrylic painting and Native bone jewelry design sparked a lifelong pursuit to blend emotion, memory, and heritage through visual form.
Participation in sweat lodge ceremonies deepened his creative calling: to craft works that honor tradition, heal generational memory, and connect people through shared narrative. Though his creative practice now extends into digital art, marketing, and design, painting remains his core medium and the truest reflection of his spirit.
Layne’s work merges Contemporary Native American Art with threads of Expressionism, Symbolism, and Folk traditions—weaving together stylized realism, vivid color, and sacred storytelling. Each piece embodies resilience, reverence, and renewal, inviting viewers into a visual dialogue between past and present.
Through his art, Layne continues to celebrate the strength and spirit of Native culture, and the timeless stories that unite us all.
