Joseph Youngblood-Lugo is the youngest son of noted potter Nancy Youngblood and a great-grandson of Margret Tafoya.  He learned to make pottery from his mother, so his technical skills are exceptional.  Each piece is coil-built, carved, stone polished, and native-fired outdoors. This jar is entitled “First Light.” It is deeply carved and highly polished.  Joseph said of this piece:

There are two sides to this piece. The first is two kiva steps with feathers above them. The Kiva steps represent a mountainscape with the feathers rising above them. The symmetry around it represents sunlight shining through the mountains at dawn. The other side has a rainbird motif, signifying a bird in the mist rising with first light.

The piece was stone polished to a high shine and traditionally fired a deep black coloration.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Joseph Youngblood Lugo”.  Joseph continues to make creative and thoughtful works in clay.

“Our tradition is in the clay.  Traditional pottery is doing the process yourself, including digging the clay, respecting our ancestors, and thanking the earth for providing the clay for us.  The Pueblo pottery from a century ago is timeless and can remain an important source of inspiration in the future.” Joseph Lugo, “Future in Clay”, 2022