Category Archives: King Galleries Blog

Chase Kawinhut Earles: “Ancient Ancestors”

“Over the past several years, I have explored Native American Futurism within the context of Star Wars imagery.  Recently, I have tried to reconcile that the ideas of Bigfoot or UFO’s are some new phenomena.  The truth is these have long been part of Native American cultural identity.  We have revered the “Sky People” and […]

Susan Folwell: Taos Light: Pueblo Perspectives

Susan Folwell began her journey into a Native re-interpretation of the Taos Society of Artists in 2017.  Since then, the work has found its way into museums, from the Eiteljorg Museum permanent collection to an exhibition at the Harwood in Taos, New Mexico. This show continues this provocative and thoughtful journey.  “Pueblo Perspectives” is an […]

Deciphered: The Yearly Symbols of Joseph Lonewolf

Joseph Lonewolf (1932-2014) is one of the great names in Santa Clara pottery.  He began making pottery in 1970 and by 1971 he won his first blue ribbon at the Gallup Inter-tribal ceremonials.  His pieces were coil built, stone polished, sgraffito etched with designs, and traditionally fired.  He quickly became famous for his “pottery jewels”. […]

Chase Kawinhut Earles: Caddo Pottery Revival and Indigenous Futurism

Gallery Statement: Chase Kawinhut Earles is one of the leading Caddo potters working today.  He’s not just a revivalist but creating his own modernist versions inspired by historic Caddo pottery.  Many people are more familiar with the forms and techniques of Pueblo pottery from the Southwest.  Caddo pottery creates a new learning curve.  Caddo pottery […]

A Century of Black-on-Black Pottery: 1920-2020

Current Work Available A Brief History:  In 1900, San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, was a small village with only 30 households.  Pueblo pottery production had significantly declined in its creation for practical purposes, and in the 1910 census, there were only eight women who were potters by occupation. Around this time, ethnographers such as Kenneth Chapman and Edgar Hewitt began […]

Susan Folwell: Taos Light, Canvas to Clay

Susan Folwell began her journey into a Native re-interpretation of the Taos Society of Artists in 2017.  Since then, the work has found its way into museums from the Eiteljorg Museum permanent collection to an exhibition at the Harwood in Taos, New Mexico. This show continues this provocative and thoughtful journey.  “Canvas to Clay, Pueblo […]

Casting Clay: The Bronze Works of Joseph Lonewolf 1974-80

Joseph Lonewolf begins his pottery career with a splash. His “pottery jewels” were a unique and new approach to Santa Clara pottery in shapes, sizes, and designs.  Each piece was coil built, stone polished and traditionally fired. The process to design each piece was to very lightly etch the surface or “sgraffito” the designs into […]

Russell Sanchez: Contemporizing the Pueblo Pottery Past

    Contemporizing the Pueblo Pottery Past How does Pueblo pottery best embrace its traditions and historic past as it enters the new era of modern ceramic influences? This question, certainly more relevant today than the old trope of “what is traditional pottery,” underscores the future directions and impact of this important Native art form.  This […]

Signed, “Serafina”: The Signed Pottery of SaraFina Tafoya

Sarafina Tafoya (1863-1949), Santa Clara Matriarch Understanding the signed pottery of SaraFina Tafoya from 1933 to 1949 by Charles S. King   Sara Fina Tafoya (1863-1949) is among the most renown of the early Santa Clara potters. She was the matriarch of a dynasty of potters, included among her children were Camilio Tafoya, Margaret Tafoya, and Christina […]

The Search For Juanita Montoya Vigil (1898-1933)

In the early years of San Ildefonso signed pottery, there are three individual potters of the same name who were all active at the same time: Juanita Gonzales (1909-1988), Juanita Pena (1900-1987) and Juanita Vigil (1898-1933). However, over the years, there has been a continual mix-up and misidentification of their work. They all simply signed […]

“Revival Rising” Ohkay Owingeh Pottery 1930s-60s

“Revival Rising” Ohkay Owingeh Pottery This show features Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo (formerly San Juan Pueblo) pottery from 1930s-1960s.  Charles King has collected the pottery for this show for more than a decade. Why so long? Many of these potters were not very prolific.  Also, finding pieces which were not damaged over nearly 70 years has […]

Art Cody Haungooh: A “Reflected Light” in Pueblo Pottery

Art Cody Haungooah (1943-1985) is remembered for his innovative take on traditional Pueblo pottery.  Since the height of his fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s, his name, unique design style, and early passing has given him a certain enigmatic quality.  For those who remember, he began making pottery at a time when his […]

“The Space Between”: Santa Clara Carved Pottery 1920-Present

From 1922-4, Sarafina Tafoya (1863-1949) created a series of “carved” vessels. These were among the first to incorporate a style of animal figurative designs and denoted the first step to a carved style which would become part of the Pueblo’s artistic lexicon in the 1930s.  The idea of “space” can be viewed as the clay […]

“Born of Fire: The Pottery of Margaret Tafoya”

Born of Fire: The Life and Pottery of Margaret Tafoya Born of Fire The Life and Pottery of Margaret Tafoya, is a name that brings to mind a woman known for her strong will, stoicism, and traditional pottery. For her, respect and honor were earned through a lifetime of hard work, perseverance, and dedication. Small in stature, […]

Peering Through Taos Light: Susan Folwell & Jody Folwell

Peering Though Taos Light:  Reflections in Clay of the Taos Society of Artists Through the Pottery of Susan Folwell and Jody Folwell The idea for the show is founded in the classic paintings of the Taos Society of Artists which formed in 1915 and disbanded in 1927.  These painters were attracted to Taos, the light, […]

Defining Diego Romero: Examining his Imagery and Iconography

Defining Diego Romero’s Imagery: For the past twenty years Diego Romero has been making art that transcends his Native American Indian heritage. While using the “traditional” materials, techniques and forms of Southwestern Indian pottery he uses comic book inspired iconography to chronicle Native life. As a student at the Institute of American Indian Art in […]

On Fire! 5 Reasons to Visit the Rockwell Musuem’s New Pottery Exhibit

The Rockwell Museum in Corning, NY seems a bit of an out of the way place to find some amazing Pueblo and Tribal pottery.  However, their new exhibition, “On Fire!“, which features primarily pieces from the Cameros Collection, has some breathtaking pieces.  The original installation and collection was documented in the book, “Crafted to Perfection”. […]

Tina Diaz & Linda Cain – The Unassuming Innovators

Tina Diaz (b.1946) and her sister Linda Cain (b. 1949) are two of the seven children of potter Mary Cain (1915-2010).  They are granddaughters of Christina Naranjo (1891-1980) and great-nieces of Margaret Tafoya (1904-2001).  Such a distinguished family linage would make one think they would be bound to more traditional pottery shapes, designs and imagery. However, for over 30 years they have been among […]