Artist Media Series
Living Artists
Historic
Youngblood, Nancy – 32 Rib “S” Swirl Melon Bowl (2024)
8.75"w x 3.5"h
$ 14,000.00
This is a large and deeply carved 32 rib “s” swirl melon bowl by Nancy Youngblood. The bowl is coil-built, wide with a sharp shoulder, and a nearly flat top. Each of the 32 ribs is deeply carved into the clay and extends out to a sharp edge. They go back and forth 4 times from the rim to the base. The depth of the carving and the symmetry of each rib is exceptional. This is certainly one of the enduring aspects of her incredible artistry. Each rib is then polished with a stone to achieve a high shine. Always consider that each rib has two sides and how much surface area there is for this piece! Nancy says she can only polish three ribs in one sitting as they are so time-consuming. She says of her iconic “S” swirl:
This “S” swirl starts with the rib on the right, then it goes to the left, to the right, to the left to the right to the left to the right, and finally to the left. It’s three times on the right and three times on the left. It is extremely difficult to polish because you are moving your hand right to left to right to left as quickly as you can. Then you have to flip the pot over and do it the opposite way. Technically, this is one of the most difficult pieces to polish because you are continually flipping it around. I call that an S swirl. My grandmother was doing pieces a long time ago with that S swirl and so was my uncle Camilo. I saw a piece of my uncle Camilo’s pottery at a gallery here in Santa Fe. It was just a vase, but it had big swirls on it all the way around. I wanted to make something uniquely mine and not copy theirs so that’s why I created these very intricate swirls.” Nancy Youngblood, Spoken Through Clay
There is something visually striking about the symmetry and depth of her 32 rib pieces and how the light hits the surface. Note as well the end of each rib is separate when looking down on the piece. This style of carving increased the chance of chipping during carving of polishing. However, the result is a design that seems to flow out seamlessly from the opening. Nancy has a particular stone that allows her to polish so deeply and the piece has a glassy surface. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Nancy Youngblood, Yellow Aspen”. Lugo 2001″. This is certainly a spectacular, large, and iconic work by this renowned artist.
Out of stock
Description
This is a large and deeply carved 32 rib “s” swirl melon bowl by Nancy Youngblood. The bowl is coil-built, wide with a sharp shoulder, and a nearly flat top. Each of the 32 ribs is deeply carved into the clay and extends out to a sharp edge. They go back and forth 4 times from the rim to the base. The depth of the carving and the symmetry of each rib is exceptional. This is certainly one of the enduring aspects of her incredible artistry. Each rib is then polished with a stone to achieve a high shine. Always consider that each rib has two sides and how much surface area there is for this piece! Nancy says she can only polish three ribs in one sitting as they are so time-consuming. She says of her iconic “S” swirl:
This “S” swirl starts with the rib on the right, then it goes to the left, to the right, to the left to the right to the left to the right, and finally to the left. It’s three times on the right and three times on the left. It is extremely difficult to polish because you are moving your hand right to left to right to left as quickly as you can. Then you have to flip the pot over and do it the opposite way. Technically, this is one of the most difficult pieces to polish because you are continually flipping it around. I call that an S swirl. My grandmother was doing pieces a long time ago with that S swirl and so was my uncle Camilo. I saw a piece of my uncle Camilo’s pottery at a gallery here in Santa Fe. It was just a vase, but it had big swirls on it all the way around. I wanted to make something uniquely mine and not copy theirs so that’s why I created these very intricate swirls.” Nancy Youngblood, Spoken Through Clay
There is something visually striking about the symmetry and depth of her 32 rib pieces and how the light hits the surface. Note as well the end of each rib is separate when looking down on the piece. This style of carving increased the chance of chipping during carving of polishing. However, the result is a design that seems to flow out seamlessly from the opening. Nancy has a particular stone that allows her to polish so deeply and the piece has a glassy surface. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Nancy Youngblood, Yellow Aspen”. Lugo 2001″. This is certainly a spectacular, large, and iconic work by this renowned artist.
Learn More
