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Youngblood, Nathan – Black Oval Jar with Cloud and Walking Bear Paw Designs
6.5" long x 6"w x 6.5"h
$ 6,500.00
This is an oval-shaped jar by Nathan Youngblood. The jar is an unusual shape when you look down from the top, as it is oval in shape. As well, the main design encircles the jar at an angle. The rim and the neck are fully polished. The design is a cloud and rain pattern that swirls around the top of the shoulder. The designs are deeply cut into the clay and highly polished. There is a single section with a micaceous clay slip. Below the shoulder, there are two sections with a “walking bear paw” design. They are separated by cloud and rain patterns. Nathan’s black pieces often achieve a “water-like” appearance to the polished surface, which gives them their own distinctive shine. The jar is signed on the back with his name and Tewa name hallmark.
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Description
This is an oval-shaped jar by Nathan Youngblood. The jar is an unusual shape when you look down from the top, as it is oval in shape. As well, the main design encircles the jar at an angle. The rim and the neck are fully polished. The design is a cloud and rain pattern that swirls around the top of the shoulder. The designs are deeply cut into the clay and highly polished. There is a single section with a micaceous clay slip. Below the shoulder, there are two sections with a “walking bear paw” design. They are separated by cloud and rain patterns. Nathan’s black pieces often achieve a “water-like” appearance to the polished surface, which gives them their own distinctive shine. The jar is signed on the back with his name and Tewa name hallmark.
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Youngblood, Nathan (b. 1954)
Nathan Youngblood
Nathan Youngblood is the grandson of noted potter Margaret Tafoya and the son of Mela Youngblood; Nathan has a traditional legacy of highly polished, deep, carved pottery. In 1976, he moved in with his grandparents and began an intense apprenticeship making pottery under their guidance. Attention to the small details was also imparted to him by his mother and grandmother. His work's precision is particularly evident in his forms, which have near geometric perfection in shape and symmetry. Nathan says, "I realize I don't make pots; I'm just involved in the process. The clay does what it wants and goes where it wants to go. I stick my hands in the clay, and where it goes, I follow."
Nathan Youngblood's clay art has evolved dramatically throughout his career. His early work focused on classic Santa Clara shapes and designs. In the early 1990s, Nathan re-examined his experiences with art worldwide and how it could be incorporated as part of his designs. His love of Asian ceramics influenced how he designed his pottery and utilized matte and polished surfaces to emphasize form. As a result, the designs seemed more complicated, less linear, and more ethereal in concept. As a result, he "opened the door for other potters to use clay as a vehicle for their personal and cultural experiences."
Over the years, Nathan has won over 140 awards for his pottery. He is one of only a handful of Santa Clara potters who use natural clay slips to create color contrasts of red and tan in his pottery. This combination of polished red and tan sections with matte or micaceous surfaces has become the new Santa Clara "polychrome." Throughout his career, he has continually built on the lessons learned from his mother and grandmother. This legacy has created a solid foundation for the evolution of his pottery, and "he has set the bar high for any potter to balance creativity, innovation, and technical expertise.