Tafoya, Kelli Little Katchina – Large Jar with Sun and Avanyu (1990)

This is the largest piece we have seen by by Kelli Little Katchina Tafoya.  She was a daughter of Lucy Year Flower, a granddaughter of Camilio Tafoya, and a niece of Joseph Lonewolf and Grace Medicine Flower.  She began making pottery in the 1970s and focused mostly on miniatures.  This jar has a wide shoulder, and it is polished on the rim and the base.  The central band is carved with a sun and avanyu design. Note in the background areas where it is matte, she has also carved it into a linear texture.  The use of the sun and the avanyu on her pottery (and that of her family) harkens to the classic style avanyu used by Camilio Tafoya in his pottery (see last photo) which combines the sunface and the avanyu.  The piece is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Kelli Little Katchina”.

Brand

Tafoya, Kelli Little Katchina (1967-2014)

Kelli Little Katchina Tafoya was a granddaughter of noted potter Camilio Tafoya and a daughter of Lucy Year Flower. She was a niece of Grace Medicine Flower and Joseph Lonewolf.  She began making pottery in the 1970s along with her mother and sister Myra Little Snow.  She was known for making deeply carved miniatures with highly polished surfaces.