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These are all the New Additions which have been added for the last 30 days.
NEW PIECES OF NATIVE AMERICAN POTTERY AND ART ARE ADDED EACH DAY, SO CHECK BACK.
This is a Simple but elegant bowl by Russell Sanchez. He continues to be one of the true innovators in Pueblo pottery. Each piece is perfectly coil built, stone polished and etched. The top of this bowl is carved with hard melon ribs. Each rib extends to the mouth of the piece with a narrow edge. Each rib is stone polished black. The lower sections of the bowl are polished a deep red. Around the side is a checkerboard snow design in black and tan. The deep red color is a revival by Russell as it is the same red clay slip which was used at San Ildefonso in the 1920’s and 30’s. Separating the various bands on the side of the jar is inset hematite hei-shi beads. Note how small they are and the shine! The lid is polished deep red with a single inset band of hei-shi beads. The shape, creative design and highly polished surface are striking on this piece. It is signed on the bottom in the clay.
Click here to read: Russell Sanchez: Contemporizing the Pueblo Pottery Past
$ 5,400.00
It is very rare that we come across a black-on-red piece by Tonita Roybal. This bowl is a piece from 1932. Tonita and her mother, Dominguita Pino, were both very well known for their black-on-red pottery before the advent of the black-on-black pottery in 1920. This bowl has beautifully painted designs in the band around the shoulder. There are mountain, cloud and rain patterns. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Tonita”. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. This bowl has exceptional provenance. It was part of the original collection of Dick Howard and featured in the booklet published on her pottery. It also has the original Indian Market sticker for 1932! Amazing! This is definitely a piece of history, as much as piece of art!
$ 5,500.00
Tony Da had a short career which spanned from 1967-82. Tony began making bears as early as his first show in 1967 at Gallup Ceremonials. As they evolved they became more sculptural in form. This bear is an earlier one from around 1970-71. The bear is fully polished and fired red. The heartline and the inside of the legs is matte. There are two pieces of turquoise on the back and two for the eyes. The bear has an incised heartline which is symbolic of the strength of the bear. The bear is signed on the back foot in the clay. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
Tony Da had a short career which spanned from 1967-82. Tony began making bears as early as his first show in 1967 at Gallup Ceremonials. As they evolved they became more sculptural in form. This bear is an earlier one from around 1969 which is fully polished red. The hei-shi beads are from Santo Domingo Pueblo and are shell. The arrowhead on the back Tony would find or acquire at the right length to match the scale of the bear. There are turquoise eyes as well. The bear has an incised heartline which is symbolic of the strength of the bear. The bear is signed on the back foot in the clay. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
Tse-Pe Gonzales and his wife, Dora, began working together around 1971. Dora would make the pottery and Tse-Pe would etch the designs. This jar is an exceptional piece of their pottery. The jar has a round shoulder which comes to a sharp edge and then up to an elongated neck. The rim is two-tone black and sienna. The jar itself is fired to striking gunmetal coloration. The avanyu is etched into the clay around the shoulder and there is a single inset of turquoise for the eye. The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay “Tse-Pe and Dora”. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. Tse-Pe and Dora worked individually from the 1980-2000, but their early collaborative work remains innovative, creative and of the highest quality even compared to many of today’s potters.
$ 1,500.00
This small plate is intricately designed by Blue Corn. Blue Corn began by making black-on-black pottery but it is her polychrome potter for which she is the most famous. This plate has a cloud and lightning design painted with a green slip and a prayer feather and rain pattern in brown clay. It is on a white stone polished surface. While the plate is small, the design is complex. It is signed on the back in the clay, “Blue Corn”. The bowl is in good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 600.00
This small bowl is deeply carved by Blue Corn. Blue Corn began by making black-on-black pottery but it is her polychrome potter for which she is the most famous. This bowl is carved with an avanyu encircling the piece. The bowl is fully polished a white coloration and then painted with a black mineral slip. The background is a slipped with a brown clay. It was traditionally fired. It is not often we see her carved work on such a small piece in various color. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Blue Corn”. The bowl is in good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. “.
$ 600.00
Dextra Quostkuyva Nampeyo is certainly one of the most influential Hopi-Tewa potters of the last 50 years. Not only has she taught numerous potters (Steve Lucas, Yvonne Lucas, Les Namingha, Loren Ami, Hisi Nampeyo, to name just a few), but her creative designs and forms changed have dramatically influenced the pottery itself. This is an earlier jar from the 1970’s. It is thin walled with a wide shoulder and turned out rim. The shape certainly reminds one of her mother, Rachel Nampeyo’s pottery. The design is very intricately painted with a katsina mask on either side of an intricately painted spider design. Separating the katsina masks are bird patterns highlight with a deep red clay. The lines are very thin and close, as would be expected from her pottery! This jar is signed on the bottom, “Dextra Quotskuyva (Nampeyo)”. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. There is a tag from its entry into the New Mexico State Fair in the 1970’s. A fascinating jar with an equally interesting design!
$ 5,200.00
In the 1950’s Maria Martinez created a series of pieces which were simply stone polished with no design. As she primarily made the pottery and polished it this was fitting with the other pieces of her career. This jar is striking in both shape and polish. It has a wide shoulder with a sharp ridge and a short neck. It is a form which is readily recognizable as her style. The jar is fully polished and fired to a gunmetal appearance. The jar was probably fired by her son, Popovi, as the gunmetal encompasses nearly the entire surface. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Maria Poveka”. This is a combination of her Anglo and Tewa names. Her name, “Poveka” means “Water Lilly”. The jar is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
https://kinggalleries.com/maria-martinez-signatures/
$ 4,800.00
Grace Medicine Flower began her career making miniature pottery with incised designs. This bowl is from 1989, at the height of when she was carving into the rim of her pottery. It was also a very brief period when she used clay slips of various colors for her pottery. This one has white and blue additional colors added to the birds. Grace said that Joseph Lonewolf (her brother) gave her the clay colors and then when she ran out she didn’t get any more. This bowl has three medallions with hummingbirds and medicine flowers. The rim is carved as are various other sections of the bowl It is very highly polished and fired a deep red. It is certainly one of her classics and in a smaller size! It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Grace Medicine Flower”. It is in perfect condition and just stunning in person!
$ 3,200.00
James Garcia Nampeyo is a son of Leah Garcia Nampeyo, a grandson of Fannie Nampeyo and a great-grandson of Nampeyo of Hano. This is a large wide shoulder jar by James. It is fully stone polished and painted with an intricate prayer feather and cloud motif. The designs are painted with bee-weed (black) and a red clay slip. In the center of each section are two prayer feathers in red and black. The jar is traditionally fired with some slight blushes to the surface. It is signed on the bottom.
$ 775.00
This is a larger and unusual shaped bowl by Camilio Tafoya. The shape has two kiva step terraces on each side. They each have a medallion in the center etched with a human figure. The sides are etched with a sash design with feathers on the end. The bowl is polished on the outside. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Camilio Sunflower Tafoya”. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. Camilio was a brother to Margaret Tafoya and the father of Joseph Lonewolf and Grace Medicine Flower.
$ 800.00
Iris Nampeyo is a daughter of Fannie Nampeyo and a well known for her elegant asymmetrical vessels with corn as part of the design in relief. Iris began using the corn in relief on the surface of her pottery in the early 1980’s. The corn is symbolic of being part of the Corn Clan. The surface of the bowl is stone polished and the corn on the front is in applique relief. The husk of the corn is sharp and the matte area extends around to the base of the jar. The matte areas are in contrast to the remainder of the piece which is polished. The opening is asymmetrical which is in keeping with the organic style of the form. What is very unusual on this piece is the coloration, which is a white clay with black areas from the firecloud. It is stunning in appearance and the swirls of color around the sruface. There is a simplicity and elegance in her pottery. While she no longer makes pottery, her vessels remain classic. This piece is signed on the bottom in the clay and it is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 1,200.00
Lois Gutierrez is one of the few potters who continue to create traditional polychrome (more than 3 colors of clay) pottery at Santa Clara Pueblo. This is a traditional style water jar with the low shoulder and elongated neck and slightly turned out rim. The jar is painted with natural clay slips and there are over five different colors used. Around the neck there are two eagles in a tumbling or swirling position. The base has a cloud and rain design in red. The jar has been traditionally fired outdoor and overall is a striking coloration. It is signed on the indented bottom of the jar. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 1,200.00
This is a classic wedding vase by Mabel Sunn from the 1970’s. The piece is made using an paddle-and-anvil technique and twice fired. The black designs are derived from a mixture of mesquite sap and cactus spines. Today, there are very few Maricopa artists making pottery. This vase is unusual for the design of the scorpion on both sides. However, it is wonderfully painted and design which is distinctive to her pottery. The wedding vase is signed, “M. Sunn” on the bottom. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 350.00
This jar by Maria Martinez is one of her classic pieces. It was made by Maria Martinez and painted by her daughter-in-law Santana. It has a very highly polished surface. The design around the rim is a cloud pattern, while the design around the neck of the jar is a thinly painted rain, lightning, and cloud pattern. Note on this piece how the design is painted so that large areas of polished surface remain revealed. The sharp shoulder and sloping neck are an excellent example of Maria’s pottery from this time. The jar is signed on the bottom, “Marie + Santana”. It is in very condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. Definitely a classic!
$ 2,500.00
This is a classic bowl by Maria Martinez and her son, Popovi Da. Maria made and polished the bowl while it was painted by her son, Popovi Da (1923-1971). The jar is highly polished and has a feather pattern around the shoulder. The bowl is very highly polished and the bowl is fired a dark black. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Maria Popovi 168“. The signature indicates that it was made around in January, 1968. The jar is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 2,200.00
This is an exceptional jar by Ida Sahmie. It is the Day Chant Dance with 15 male and female Yei-bi-chi dancers encircling the jar. The top half of the jar is polished while the bottom half is matte. The background area is the polished natural color of the clay. In the background, there are the mesas, clouds, and even birds! Note how she has also painted the shadows of each dancer extending to the base of the bowl. Ida also etches into the clay for the faces and the bodies, leather, and masks of each dancer. The bottom of the jar is painted with a step cloud design, which is also used on Navajo wedding baskets. The rim is polished red and painted with a mountain line and a spirit line break in the pattern. The jar is thin-walled and traditionally fired. Ida is a daughter-in-law of Priscilla Nampeyo and she continues to make beautifully formed pottery with wonderfully complex designs. She has won numerous awards for her pottery at events such as Santa Fe Indian Market. She is the only Navajo potter creating this unique style of ethnographic pottery. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Ida Sahmie”. This jar is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It also has a First Place ribbon from the 2012 Navajo Nation Fair.
$ 1,500.00
Lawrence Namoki has been known for a variety of styles in his pottery. This is an earlier piece of his pottery from the 1980’s. It is a seedpot entitled, “Buffalo Dance”. It has a male and female Buffalo Dancer on each side. The top of the seedpot has a sunface with a feather pattern. The Dancers are deeply carved into the clay and texturized. The various layers of carving to create shadows and depth to the seedpot. All the different colors are dervied from natural clay slips. The areas on the side and at the bottom of the seedpot are slipped so that it looks like wood. The seedpot is signed and titled on the bottom. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 500.00
This jar by Johnathan Naranjo captures his unique style of sgraffito and etching on his pottery. The jar is fully polished and the various colors are simply created by the depth of the etching into the clay! Jonathan continues to amaze with this designs and technique. There are two panels of birds. They are very intricately designed. Separating them are two sections of a ribbon pattern. The designs on the ribbon are classic Santa Clara designs. The rim is also designed with bird wing and geometric cloud motifs. The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay. Johnathan has won numerous awards for his pottery and Johnathan is definitely one of the young potters to watch!
$ 800.00
This gunmetal fired bowl is a striking piece by Maria Martinez and her son, Popovi Da. Maria made and polished the bowl and it was fired by her son, Popovi Da (1923-1971). Popovi focused on both the painted surfaces of the pottery as well as the firings. This bowl is a true gunmetal with very strong metallic appearance across most of the surface. There is even a slight hint of “goldtone” color. Interestingly, note the photo of the top of the bowl, and you can see from some of the coloration that it was fired upside down! It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Maria / Popovi 669”. The firing date is when the pottery was made, so this bowl was from June, 1969. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. Great gunmetal fired pieces by Maria and Popovi with such high polished surface are always stunning and a great addition to any collection! The very last photo consists of two pieces by Maria and Popovi Da. The one on the left is a black fired bowl and the other is this piece, which is gunmetal. I thought it would be helpful to see the difference in coloration.
$ 2,400.00
This is certainly one of the most unique jars we have had by Maria Martinez. The jar is from the 1920’s and it was made by Maria Martinez and her husband, Julian. It is the actual form, with the indented sections around the shoulder, which is so unusual! Maria is known for her traditional shapes and highly polished surfaces. In the 1920’s, this long neck style of jar was one of her most classic forms. The last image in this post shows her working on a jar with indented sides! It is not a style which she made after the 1920’s and this is one of the first I have seen in person. However, each indention is fully polished, as is the entire jar. The neck was painted by Julian and there is a cloud pattern and a turned out neck. The jar was traditionally fired and has a nearly gunmetal appearance. It is a creative piece of her pottery and an extraordinary part of the history of her pottery. The jar is signed, “Marie” in the bottom. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. There are few small surface scratches, but nothing unexpected with the age of the jar. It is not just exciting but an honor to have such a historically important jar come back into the gallery!
$ 4,200.00
This is one of the more complex painted jar we have had by Maximiliana “Anna” Martinez, who was a sister of Maria Martinez. It is fully polished and painted with a water seprent (avanyu), encircling the jar. It is the complexity of the avanyu which makes the piece so distinctive. Note the fine lines and the clouds above the avanyu. The jar was fired black and has near-gunmetal appearance. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Anna”. Why is the work of Anna Martinez important? Interestingly, Maria would often say she was the best painter in the family. She was married to Cresencio Martinez, who was known for his paintings and was also a brother to Tonita Roybal. One can begin to see how her talent was easily fostered by those around her making a jar like this simply a classic!
Click here for more information on the Early San Ildefonso Innovators!
$ 1,800.00
Tonita Roybal remains one of the great innovative names in San Ildefonso pottery. This smaller jar has her classic sharp shoulder. The neck has a painted plant design which encircles the piece. The jar is highly polished and fired to a great gunmetal coloration. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Tonita”. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. A note on the provenance: The small sticker on the bottom denotes that it was from the collection of Dick Howard, as that was his early numbering system.
$ 600.00
It is not often that we come across a large bowl by Maria Martinez in such great condition. This bowl is from 1920-25 and it was made and polished by Maria Martinez and painted by her husband, Julian. These early pieces are signed, “Marie”, although Julian was painting the designs. It was not until around 1925 that they began to sign both names to the pottery. This bowl has a wide mouth and the painting is on the side around the shoulder. The design is a very early style of the eagle feather pattern. Note at the top of the feather, the rectangular black matte area, which is in the center of the feather. As time progress, that moved to one side so that it was easier to paint, as it took more time to paint it in the center of the feather. However, the result is always visually striking with the older style. This bowl is highly polished and fired with near-gunmetal areas on the surface. The gunmetal color achieved on these early pieces was from the heat of the firing. The bowl is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Marie”.
To learn more about Maria’s signatures, click here.
$ 8,500.00
In the 1950’s Maria Martinez created a series of pieces which were simply stone polished with no design. As she primarily made the pottery and polished it this was fitting with the other pieces of her career. This tall bowl is fully polished and fired to a near gunmetal appearance. The gunmetal shine was achieved by the heat of the firing. The bowl is signed in the clay, “Maria Poveka”. This is a combination of her Anglo and Tewa names. Her name, “Poveka” means “Water Lilly”. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 2,400.00
This is a very unusual canteen by Jennie Trammel. Over the years we have had several of her canteens which were made in this same style with the flat base and designs on both sides. This canteen has a carved bear paw on one side. The unusual part of this canteen is the opposite side, which has carved avanyu with a center medallion in tan. The carving around the avanyu is very deep, as are the bands around the bear paw. I looked back and in over 20 years, I’ve never had a piece by her with tan polished designs. The red is a clay slip while the tan is achieved by using water to create the coloration of the clay. The carving is very deep and the piece is a very deep red. The background area is matte and the traditional creame colored clay slip. The canteen is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed, “Jennie Trammel” in the clay on bottom. Definitely one of her classics!
$ 3,400.00
Shirley Tafoya was the youngest daughter of Margaret Tafoya and known for her miniature pottery. This bowl is from 1980. It is very deeply carved with a water serpent encircling the piece. The entire surface is fully polished. Shirley etched the eye and the mouth of the avanyu. The water serpent is a classic Santa Clara design telling the story of how the avanyu saved the village from a flood. The bowl is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Shirley Cactus Blossom Tafoya”. A classic of Tafoya Family pottery!
$ 1,000.00
Stunning! This is an exceptional jar by Jennie Trammel. She was a daughter of Margaret Tafoya. Over the years Jennie did not make a lot of pottery as she lived a very private life and was virtually never involved in markets or gallery shows. However, she created striking pottery with classic shapes and designs which were distinctive to her work. Each piece was coil built and it was the carving, with the rounded edges, which was a visual key to her work. This tall jar has a low shoulder, which gives it lots of space for design. The central areas is fully carved with three rising sun designs. They are separated by three cloud motifs descending downward. Jennie continues to fascinate with her designs, as they are images that few other Santa Clara potters use in their work. As well, as on this piece, her choice to use three designs instead of four, is more difficult and unusual. The carving is very deep and the piece is a very deep red. The background area is matte and the traditional creame colored clay slip. The jar is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. There are a couple of areas of slip loss on the edge of some of the carving, which might have happened at the time of firing and are not unusual in her larger pottery. The jar is signed, “Jennie Trammel” in the clay on bottom. Definitely one of her classics!
$ 4,000.00
Shirley Tafoya was the youngest daughter of Margaret Tafoya. They each created distinctive styles of carved pottery. This is one of the only pieces Margaret made with her daughter, Shirley. Shirley told me when I was writing “Born of Fire” that Margaret had made the bowl and she asked Shirley to carve a kiva step design into the clay. Shirley then polished the bowl. The bowl is highly polished and traditionally fired. The kiva steps were a significant choice:
“The kiva step pattern is a classic design see on much of Margaret Tafoya’s pottery. That particular design has three steps, representing the kiva where religious ceremonies take place on the Pueblo. From the kitchen window of Margaret’s house, their clan kiva could also be seen while they worked. Again, the tradition of form and design, of passing on knowledge to the next generation, were all a daily presence in Margaret’s pottery and life”. Born of Fire, p. 100
This bowl is from the 1980’s and it is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Shirley Cactus Blossom Tafoya, Margaret Tafoya”. It is an amazing piece of history, culture and Pueblo tradition! The last photos are one from the book, Born of Fire along with a photo of Margaret and Shirley Tafoya.
$ 3,400.00
This is a striking fully polished water jar by Margaret Tafoya. It is from the 1960’s. It is an elegant shape with a long neck and a “double shoulder”. The double shoulder was also called a “rainbow ridge” by Margaret and her mother, Sarafina Tafoya. It adds to the difficulty of a piece as the second ridge requires the potters to create a rise from the shoulder to a second shoulder to the neck. The jar is stone polished all at one time and then fired to a deep black. It is from the 1960’s and it is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Margaret Tafoya”. This shape and size is definitely a classic of her work!
“She [Margaret Tafoya] made water jars sitting outside the adobe house, and they would never crack on her. There’s a rainbow band on the shoulder. She would sit on the floor with her legs straight out and make the pots that way. Today we stand up and make our pots.” LuAnn Tafoya and Toni Roller, Spoken Through Clay
$ 8,800.00
Christina Naranjo was a daughter of SaraFina Tafoya and a sister of Margaret Tafoya and Camilio Tafoya. She was known for her classic style carved Santa Clara pottery. This is definitely the largest piece of her pottery we have had in the gallery. It is a tall water jar with a long neck. Around the body of the piece, it is fully carved with a water serpent (avanyu), as the design. The avanyu encircles the jar in a band of design but note the exceptional complexity of the imagery. The area clouds and rain and lightning in the pattern and they utilize the normal band but also the negative space. The long neck is also fully polished. The style of her carving is certainly significantly different than that of her sister, Margaret Tafoya. The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Christina Naranjo”. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. Christina has a wonderful legacy in the work of her daughters Mary Cain and Teresita Naranjo, as well as her great-granddaughters Tammy Garcia and Autumn Borts.
$ 2,800.00
Rebecca Lucario is known for her delicate and intricately painted pottery. She uses traditional Acoma clay and paints with bee-weed (a plant) and clay slips. Ever since one of her plates appeared on the cover the “Changing Hands” exhibition catalog, her work has become iconic with fine-line style painting. This larger plate has a fineline center design. This emanates out into the “petals” of the flower which are a series of diamond shaped patterns. They are either filled in black, painted with fine-lines or painted with and outlined “x” design. The design starts small but gets larger as it nears the rim. The rim of the jar is painted with a red clay slip. The intricate design of the plate is certainly visually dynamic! It is signed on the back, “R. Lucario, Acoma, 2018”.
$ 2,800.00
This is an extraordinary box by Dolores Curran. She continues to create intricately incised and painted pottery. This piece combines both the incised polychrome pottery inspired by her late husband, Alvin Curran, and her delicately painted buff-on-red style. The painted areas of the box are amazing in detail and time-consuming. Everything has to be repainted at least four times for the color to appear solid! The outside of the box is fully polished and has feathers, prayer feathers, clouds and turtles as the design. There is also a water serpent along the rim. The top of the side of the box is mica slipped and has painted cloud designs which extend over the rim. The lid is incised with a feather pattern, along with two sections of prayer feathers. There are various clay colors to create white and red. The center of the lid has a painted avanyu and the rim of the lid has another avanyu! Turn the lid over and there is an incised butterfly! I’ll say it again, the work and detail on a piece of her work this size is extraordinary! The box is signed on the bottom in the clay.
$ 3,800.00
Bobby Silas is an exceptional potter creating revival Siktayki pottery using similar clay and firing techniques to those pieces created between 1100 and 1600. Are you familiar with Sikyatki? In Hopi, Sikyátki means “Yellow House” and it is known for its distinctive style of pottery. The vessels were large and painted with a wide variety of designs. It was this pottery which was excavated beginning in 1895 which inspired Nampeyo of Hano to create her own stylized versions. Bobby has been making his own coil built pieces from clay local to Hopi and painted with natural clay slips and bee-weed/mustard plant for the black. Interestingly, he has taken the time to seek out the local lignite coal which the Siktayki potters used to fire their pottery. It burns hot and gives the pieces a distinctive coloration and it is also a very high firing, which makes them very hard. In terms of designs, Bobby says that he seeks out both older pieces and looks at older designs for inspiration.
This large jar is a classic Sikyatki shape with the very wide shoulder and slightly turned out rim. This large jar is amazingly thin walled and painted with a variety of designs. Extending downwards in the rectangles are the “prayer feathers’. The circles on the design represent where a piece of turquoise would be placed on the bundle. The feathers extending downward are meant to be Eagle fluff (white), woodpecker (black/white) and Blue Jay (red, as Bobby said he doesn’t have a blue slip.). The interesting part of the design is the larger painted panels which are the classic “eagle tail” design. Bobby said that he thinks that they are Flickertails, as the birds tail design represents the speed of one’s prayers and the Flickers are fast! The various colors are all derived from natural clay slips. The painting on his pottery is interesting as if you look closely it has a more “painterly” appearance as he is using the older red clay seen on Hopi-Tewa pottery before the 1930’s. The jar itself has off-white coloration from the firing and there are blushes across the surface. Because of the use of lignite coal, the blushes are different in coloration from the classic manure firings. If you are like me, I have to stop and adjust my view to understand the variation in firing techniques and how they impact the color of the clay. The jar is signed on the bottom with a coyote track (Coyote Clan) and his name. It’s exciting to see an artist delve into the past for inspiration and take the time to seek out the historic methods of firing. Bobby has recently won awards at the Museum of Northern Arizona for his pottery and we look forward to seeing how his pottery evolves over time!
$ 4,000.00
This is a striking but unusual collaborative piece by Christina Naranjo and her daughter, Teresita Naranjo. The jar was made by Christina and is one of her classic round shapes with the slight neck. It was carved by Teresita with a very deep style of carving. The jar has a water serpent (avanyu) encircling the piece. Note that there is Teresita’s signature style of negative space carving with the clouds descending from the rim. The carving on the horn of the avanyu is especially deep, crips and very thin! The jar is in good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. There are some minor scratches on the surface. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Teresita + Christina”. It is interesting that in over 20 years, I have had several pieces which were signed by both Christina and Mary Cain (another daughter) but this is the first one I have had by Christina and Teresita. It’s nice to see in a collaborative piece that their individuality in shape (Christina) and carving (Terestia) are so distinctive. Christina Naranjo was a sister of Margaret Tafoya and Camilio Tafoya, as well as the matriarch of the family of potters including Teresita Naranjo and Tammy Garcia.
$ 1,400.00
This bowl by Effie Garcia is deeply carved and highly polished. It has a Mountain pattern with the wind flowing off the surface fo which is carved into the clay. The design is then outlined with a clay slip and the remainder of the bowl is highly polished. It is fired a deep black. The high polish and angle from the shoulder make her work distinctive. It is signed on the bottom in the clay.
$ 550.00
Mary Cain was known for her classic style Santa Clara pottery. A daughter of Christina Naranjo, she was a matriarch of a family of classic style pottery. This jar has along neck and it is deeply carved with an avanyu which encircles the piece. As the jar is turned there are cloud and water motifs. It is highly polished and the background has the traditional cream colored clay slip. It is signed on the bottom, “Mary Cain”. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 800.00
Jessie Garcia is one of the great names in Acoma pottery. Between 1950 and 1970, she along with Lucy Lewis and Marie Z. Chino, led the revival of Acoma pottery. This jar is a classic Acoma shape with the high shoulder and slight neck. The jar is fully painted with a plant and lightning design. Note how the plant leaves interconnect across the entire surface! The jar is painted with bee-weed (black) and traditionally fired. It is signed on the bottom, “Jessie Garcia” It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 675.00
Lolita Concho was among those potters helping to revive historic Acoma pottery designs and forms in the 1970’s. This jar is from the 1970’s. It is a unique shape with two spouts. The designs are a variation of lighting and rain designs. There is a striking flow of design on both sides. Note as well the painting on the side with additional cloud swirls. It is an exceptional piece in size and design. The jar is signed on the bottom, “L. Concho”. It is in good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 800.00
Sarah Garcia (1928-2015) was born at Laguna Pueblo to Maria Trujillo. However, she spent her adult life at Acoma Pueblo. She, along with Jessie Garcia, Lucy M. Lewis, and Marie Z. Chino, were largely responsible for the revival of Anasazi and Tularosa designs on contemporary Acoma vessels. Her daughter Goldie Hayah continues making pottery. This is a classic style Acoma jar with very tightly painted designs. There are lightning and rain patterns encompassing the surface of the bowl. The bowl is signed on the bottom, “Sarah Garcia”. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 600.00
This is a fully designed bowl by Gloria Garcia. It is fully polished and fired black. The bowl has a series of Pueblo style deer encircling the piece. Each is etched into the clay and note how the body of each deer has additional etched designs. There is a cloud design around the neck and a single inset piece of coral. It is very highly polished and a very classic design. It is signed on the bottom, “Golden Rod”.
$ 600.00
Kimberly Riley Honyumptewa is from Laguna Pueblo and married to Aaron Honyumptewa who is Hopi/Picuris. She learned to make pottery from her mother-in-law Caroline Simbolo Cine in the traditional Picuris style and using native clay from the area. Each piece is coil built and traditionally fired. This bowl is thin walled and has a braided handle. The piece is traditionally fired so there are beautiful blushes across the surface. It is signed on the bottom. Will be exciting to see how Kimberly’s work continues to evolve in creating more Picuris pottery!
$ 125.00
Caroline Simbolo Sine is from Picuris Pueblo. Simbolo is one of the great names in Picuris pottery. Caroline is the mother of Aaron Honyumptewa and taught his wife, Kimberly Riley Honyumptewa to make pottery. This bowl is made from Picuris micaceous clay. It is a classic stew bowl shape. It is fully polished on the inside and outside. It is traditionally fired outdoors which has created the striking deep colorations on the surface. It is signed on the bottom. This is the first piece we have had from Caroline and pleased to have such traditional Picuris pottery in the gallery!
$ 145.00
Kimberly Riley Honyumptewa is from Laguna Pueblo and married to Aaron Honyumptewa who is Hopi/Picuris. She learned to make pottery from her mother-in-law Caroline Simbolo Cine in the traditional Picuris style and using native clay from the area. Each piece is coil built and traditionally fired. This bowl is thin walled and has a scalloped rim and a handle. The piece is traditionally fired so there are beautiful blushes across the surface. It is signed on the bottom. Will be exciting to see how her work evolves in creating more Picuris pottery!
$ 125.00
Madeline Naranjo creates beautifully carved and polished pottery. Each piece is coil built, stone polished and traditionally fired. This jar has a round body and an elongated neck. There are four bears carved into the clay. They alternate between matte and polished. Above them is a carved cloud design. The contrast of the matte and polished surfaces works perfectly, especially with the polished neck. Note as well how her matte areas are sanded and perfectly smooth so that there are no indentations or areas where the matte might make a shadow. Her designs are always innovative and beautifully executed. The jar is signed on the bottom.
$ 275.00
Madeline Naranjo creates beautifully carved and polished pottery. Each piece is coil built, stone polished and traditionally fired. This larger bowl has four turtles carved into the clay. They are each deeply carved and matte, while surrounded by a stone polished surface. The contrast of the matte and polished surfaces works perfectly, especially with the polished neck. Note as well how her matte areas are sanded and perfectly smooth so that there are no indentations or areas where the matte might make a shadow. Her designs are always innovative and beautifully executed. The jar is signed on the bottom.
$ 450.00
Geri Naranjo is known for her intricately etched miniature pottery. This jar is round with just a slight neck. The piece is fully polished and nearly fully incised with four bands of design. Around the top band is an avanyu and below a band of feathers. Below the feathers are two bands of cloud, rain and feather patterns. The jar is signed on the bottom, “Geri Naranjo” It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is a striking piece and amazing in the complexity of the design work!
$ 375.00
Kimberly Riley Honyumptewa is from Laguna Pueblo and married to Aaron Honyumptewa who is Hopi/Picuris. She learned to make pottery from her mother-in-law Caroline Simbolo Cine in the traditional Picuris style and using native clay from the area. Each piece is coil built and traditionally fired. These two miniature are traditional water jar and bowl shapes. They are made from Picuris clay and traditionally fired. There are slight blushes on the surfaces of both pieces. They are each signed on the bottom. Kimberly has been making pottery for the past year and we look forward to her continuation of this traditional pottery.
$ 50.00
Greg Lonewolf is the son of Joseph Lonewolf and is known for his intricately incised miniatures. This is a set of five miniatures, each very intricately etched and designed. There is a dragonfly, which is the largest. The Turtle seedpot has a turtle on top and feathers on the side. The Fish seedpot has three Mimbres style fish encircling the piece. The duck seedpot has a Mimbres duck on the front and a realistic duck on the back. The smallest is the Mimbres Frog seedpot with a realistic frog on the back. Each piece is fully polished and highlighted with additional clay slips. The contrasts of size and intricate realism is exceptional. Each piece is signed and the dragonfly seedpot says “set of 5” and each has a number in the set (1-5). They are each in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. While Greg no longer makes pottery, his work remains exceptional. If there is interest in breaking up the set, I will consider it but thought it was a unique opportunity for the whole group to remain intact.
$ 1,800.00
Elizabeth White created distinctive pottery using the various colors of Hopi clay. She originated the use of the ear of corn as a design in repousse (pushed out from the inside) on her pottery. Her pottery is all signed in the clay with her Hopi name Polingaysi, which means, “butterfly sitting among the flowers in the breeze”. This jar is one of her classic pieces with two ears of corn. The coloration of the clay is the distinctive and much sought after “mauve”. The entire piece is stone polished to a high shine except for the two ears of corn which are unpolished matte. The narrow shape is very much like the jars that her nephew Al Qoyawayma makes which he calls “wish pots”. He tells the story that the name comes from Elizabeth as she said people would look at the pieces and say, “I wish I could have one”. This jar is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. Interestingly, Polingaysi was a school teacher and taught at Hopi and Navajo schools for almost 40 years. On retirement from teaching, she became an artist, a poet, and a philosopher. Her career as a potter was begun late in life, after her retirement, so there is very little of her work available. It is a classic of her work and an important addition to any collection!
$ 1,200.00
This jar by Al Qoyawayma is made from mauve Hopi clay. It is from 1996 and the shape is what Al calls a “Harmony Jar”. It has a round body and an elongated neck with a turned out rim. The jar is vertically polished creating an “onion skin” appearance to the surface. The design on the jar is a single carved area which has a corn design carved into the clay. It is a simple, but elegant form and design. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay.
$ 2,500.00
This jar by Al Qoyawayma is made from red Hopi clay. It is from 1990 and has a round body and an asymmetric neck. The entire piece is fully polished except for the two ears of corn. They are pushed out in the clay, carved and texturized and are matte. The style of the corn is reminiscent of the work of his aunt, Elizabeth White. She would often incorporate corn as a design on her pottery. The coloration of the matte and polished red is striking. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay.
$ 2,500.00
Charles Loloma is a name synonymous with innovative Hopi jewelry. He began his jewelry career with a brief period of time also making pottery in the 1950’s. The pieces were made form earthenware and were painted and glazed. By the 1960’s his jewelry was already achieving some fame and he discontinued making pottery. His clay pieces are relatively rare but fascinating in terms of form, design and glaze. In many ways they mirror the innovative style of his jewelry relative to the other work being created at Hopi at the same time. This tall jar is fully designed with corn maiden motifs. They are etched into the clay. The surface is matte but the rim is glazed. This is certainly an exceptional piece of his pottery! It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Loloma”.
$ 1,800.00
Iris Nampeyo comes from a family of talented potters including her siblings: Tonita Nampeyo, Tom Polacca, Elva Nampeyo and Leah Garcia Nampeyo. Iris is a granddaughter of Nampeyo of Hano and a daughter of Fannie Nampeyo. She is married to Wallace Youvella and their son Nolan is also a talented potter. Iris is best known for her buff colored pottery with the single ear of corn as the design. This tall seedpot of hers from the late 1970’s. It is fully polished and there is a single ear of corn in appliqué on one side. The corn husk area is more simple than in her later work and the corn itself has a larger and more dramatic appearance on the jar. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Iris Youvella Nampeyo”.
$ 350.00
Lucy Lewis is one of the great Matriarch potters of the past century. This bowl is coil built and painted using bee-weed, a plant. The design consists of three heartline deer. This imagery is a classic to both Acoma and Zuni pottery, with the heartline signifying the center or “heart” of the animal. This bowl is thin walled and delicately painted. It was traditionally fired so the white has much more of a pearlescent coloration, which creates added depth. In the 1980’s the surfaces of her pieces were more highly polished, giving them a smoother feel. The bowl is signed on the bottom, “Lucy M. Lewis”. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 1,500.00
Lucy Lewis is one of the great Matriarch potters of the 1900’s. She was an important revivalist of Acoma pottery throughout her career. This jar is coil built and painted with a fine-line cloud pattern. There are rain designs painted on the long end of the triangles. The three bands of design read not only horizontally but also diagonally. Lucy would paint her pieces with bee-weed for the black and each piece was traditionally fired outdoors. This bowl is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom, “Lucy M. Lewis”.
$ 825.00
Barbara & Joseph Cerno are known for their large coil built vessels. This miniature is coil built and painted with two Mimbres style bugs as the design. There is some very intricate fineline and hatchwork designs. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom, “B.J. Cerno”. Barbara & Joseph remain among the most renown contemporary Acoma potters for their revival of historic patterns.
$ 75.00
This bowl by Gloria Garcia is fully polished and etched with one of her more realistic scenes. There are six buffalo on this piece. Each of the buffalo is detailed with design and there are additional cloud and lightning designs surrounding them. There is an additional white clay slip used as part of the lightning design in the sky. There are even a few gophers in the scene as well! This bowl is very highly polished and fired a deep red. It is signed on the bottom with her Tewa name “GoldenRod”.
$ 550.00
Barbara & Joseph Cerno are known for their large coil built vessels. This smaller encapsulates the best of their shapes and designs. The jar is a classic Acoma water jar shape. The jar is very thin walled and first slipped with a white clay. The jar is painted with three parrots on the sides. Surrounding the parrots are flower and rainbow designs. Above the parrots are three smaller birds with flowers and plant motifs. The black is all bee-weed (a plant) and there two different colors of red (red and orange-red) which are used paint the designs and some of the areas are stone polished. The jar is traditionally fired with some blushes on the inside. The jar has a striking flow and complexity of imagery on the jar. It was made in 2005. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. Barbara & Joseph remain among the most renown contemporary Acoma potters for their revival of historic patterns.
$ 975.00
Elizabeth Medina is known for traditional style of Zia pottery. Each piece is coil built, painted with native clays and native fired. Did you know that Zia potters mix volcanic basalt into their clay to give it strength? This jar has a low shoulder and it is painted with three birds. Each bird is different in body style, wings and color. Separating each bird is a large flower. Each flower has polished petals. Around the neck is a intricately painted rain design. It is a very intricately painted jar for the size. The jar is signed on the bottom, “Elizabeth Medina, Zia”.
$ 125.00
This jar by Jody Naranjo is from 2004. It is highly polished around the neck and the base. These area are fully etched with her signature “kiva step” design, as is the inside of the rim. The center band is matte. The design is a series of birds encircling the jar. The jar has flat sides, which creates as striking appearance to both the jar and the burnished surfaces. The brown coloration is derived from the outdoor firing process. The jar is signed, “Jody Naranjo” and it is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. Jody said of her designing:
“As for the design on the top and the bottom, it was the kiva step in the beginning. My family used them but just parts of them, the top half of the design. I started making them just around the top of the pot in one row. Then it became two rows and three rows, and then I started filling in between them. Now it looks more like a textile, and it’s a signature pattern that I do on everything.” Jody Naranjo, Spoken Through Clay
$ 2,400.00
This is an extraordinary carved open bowl by Autumn Borts-Medlock. She is known for her often fanciful carved pottery and use of unique shapes. The bowl is carved on the rim and the inside of the rim has etched stars. On the inside of the bowl, it is fully carved with a moon, star, mountain and river design. The stars, mountains, and clouds are all full polished. The river is carved using “melon ribs” to create the angles. It is amazing that she could carve into the center of the bowl with such precision! The back of the bowl is also fully carved with melon ribs, which replicate the design of the river! Not only visually creative but technically very difficult to create this style of the piece. It is traditionally fired black and signed on the back. The bowl has a metal museum mount in which it sits to show off the creative design!
$ 8,800.00
Linda Tafoya-Sanchez is a granddaughter of noted potter Margaret Tafoya and a daughter of Lee & Betty Tafoya. She is know for her intricately carved pottery. The jar is a variations of designs. Two sections are fully polished with carved corn plants. The opposite two medallions have hummingbirds as the design. Linda’s hummingbirds are exceptional with the rounded bodies. There are also areas where she has added a micaceous clay slip. Linda was among the first Santa Clara potters to begin using the mica as a design element after she was given some by her San Juan Pueblo in-laws. The jar is signed on the bottom, “Linda Tafoya-Sanchez”.
“The clay is a really important part of making the pottery. Listening to family members talk about how they used to get clay with Grandma and Grandpa [Margaret & Alcario Tafoya] and how they would make it an all-day venture. You feel that family connection when you are digging the clay out of the earth. It ties you to your home. There’s no other place you are going to find that kind of clay. You think about how many years people have dug that clay out of the earth, how many years Mother Earth has provided that clay for us.” Linda Tafoya-Sanchez, Spoken Through Clay
$ 2,000.00
This water jar by Joy “Frog Woman” Navasie is a distinctive shape. It is a more classic water jar shape with the round shoulder, elongated neck and turned out rim. The jar is fully polished on the inside and outside. It is slipped with the white clay and then painted with natural clay slips (the red is a deeper red clay she began to use in the 1980’s) and bee-weed (black). It’s nice to see this period of her work painted with such precision to the lines! The design is interesting, as there are two consecutive panels with birds. The other two panels are painted with a bird wing design and a series of rain and cloud motifs. The neck of the jar is also painted with a band of cloud and rain designs. Interestingly, the delineation of the panels on the neck are in the center of the panels below! Joy was always masterful with both the precision of her painting but also the geometry of her designs and the form. The jar was traditionally fired so there are some very slight variations in the coloration but primarily the white has the classic pearlescent depth of color. The jar is signed on the bottom with her Frog Hallmark. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 1,800.00
This smaller jar by Joy “Frog Woman” Navasie is one of her classic shapes. The jar has straight sides and it is polished on the inside and the outside. The jar is slipped with the white clay and then painted with natural clay slips and bee-weed (black). The sides of the jar are very tightly painted in four panels. It’s nice to see a smaller piece with such precision to the lines! Two panels are birds and the other two are bird tail designs. The black painted with bee-weed (a plant) and the red is a deeper red clay she began to use in the 1980’s. It has been traditionally fired so there are some variations in the coloration from white to almost a pinkish color. The jar is signed on the bottom with her Frog Hallmark. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 1,400.00
This is a larger bowl by Tom Tapia. It is highly polished and designed with four medallions. One is a Sun, while the others are different katsina figures. Separating the medallions are kivas with ladders. Around the base is another katsina figure which encircles the piece and has feather and rain designs. The bowl was fired black and then the reddish clay coloration is added after the firing. It is this color combination for which Tom achieved recognition. The bowl is signed, “Tom Tapia”. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 600.00
Preston Duwyenie is known for his Hopi pottery which blends modern and traditional aspects of the art. This jar is made from a white clay which he finds near Second Mesa at Hopi. The shape is interesting, as it is a much more Hopi-Tewa from with the wide shoulder and sloping neck. This is certainly a shape one would associate with Nampeyo fo Hano. The neck and area below the shoulder are fully polished. There is a band around the shoulder which has the shifting sand design is carved into the clay. What makes the “sand” area so fascinating is how Preston carves it so that it has a very natural appearance. Separating each of the three panels are rectangular sections, each with a single inset piece of silver. The silver insets are cast from cuttle-fish bone (a type of squid). The casting creates a similar style of ‘shifting sand’ design to complement the clay areas! The thin walls of the bowl, the organic feel of the shifting sand and the strength of the silver insets are elegant on this piece. The piece is signed on the bottom with is hallmark signed on the bottom in the clay with Preston’s hallmark which is a woman carrying a child and his Hopi name, which means “carried in beauty”. Preston is from Third Mesa at Hopi and taught ceramics for years at Institute of American Indian Art (IAIA) in Santa Fe.
Why the shifting sand designs? Preston says he remembers watching a smooth pebble caught in sand being shifted by the wind, “there was beauty in its isolation within the sea of sand. It was like an island. The endless sands of time, and the fact that people, too are tossed about by the wind. There is always rippling in our lives”.
$ 1,800.00
Sofia Medina and her daughter Lois Medina were known for traditional style of Zia pottery. Each piece was coil built, painted with native clays and native fired. This is jar is striking in design and a very classic Zia shape with the high shoulder and slight neck. The jar has an intricate cloud and rain design around the neck. Around the side of the jar it is very intricately painted with a stylized hummginbird, flower and plant patterns. This is an unusual bird style for them with the intricately painted wings of the hummingbirds, which are then slipped with clay to create the coloration. Note as well the use of the hatchwork designs which are very tightly painted. Did you know that Zia potters use volcanic basalt as their temper for the clay, which gives these pieces their stability but also weight. The jar is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the side, “Sofia & Lois Medina”.
$ 900.00
Hubert Candelario is one of the few potters from San Felipe Pueblo. He has been known for his micaceous pottery for over thirty years. This is an interesting and creative departure in his work. It is a smaller piece with a single dragonfly cut through the clay. There are numerous other holes of various sizes also cut through. The departure is the surface. Instead of a rough surface the surface has been burnished. The mica can still be seen and catches the light, but the surface is smooth. Looking inside and the rougher texture of the mica is visible. The polishing has given the piece a bit darker coloration. This is a new piece is from 2018 and an exciting variation on his style and designs. It is signed on the bottom.
$ 875.00
John Aragon is known for his use of Mimbres imagery on his pottery. This is one of his open bowls. Inside the bowl it is fully painted with about 50 lizards! Each lizard has a similar body with fine-line designs. They overall appearance is one of both ancient and modern. The outside of the bowl has a rain cloud designs. The bowl was made in 1999. Today, John makes almost no pottery but his pieces have their own distinctive style. The piece is signed on the bottom. It in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 700.00
Frederica Antonio is renown for her intricately painted pottery. Each piece is coil built and then finely painted. Her designs are a series of fine vertical and horizontal lines which are then filled in to create larger images in the squares. This water jar has a sloping shape which sets off the designs. It is an amazingly intricate pattern which represents the four seasons. From top to bottom they are Fall (leaves, polychrome), Summer (rain, black and white), Spring (flowers, polychrome), Winter (snow, checkerboard). The top band has four different colors used to create the “leaves”. The optical illusion of the square inside squares and diamonds inside diamond shapes gives the appearance of movement. T he middle band of the four colors for the flowers is delicately painted. Her two black and white sections with the rain and snow are exceptionally tiny squares! The coloration includes two additional colors of clay. The entire jar is first painted black on white. Frederica noted that she paints the red first, then the brown color and then had to go back over all the black lines again one more time! The level of complexity and time involved on the painting of this piece is extraordinary! The result, however, is stunning with a dynamic appearance and movement to the designs. The base of the jar is concave, reminiscent of historic Acoma jars which were carried on the head. This combination of thin walls, classic shape and tightly painted design create a piece which is visually stunning! The jar is signed on the bottom.
$ 1,600.00
Myron Sarracino is one of the few Laguna potters working today. He learned to make pottery from Gladys Paquin and creates pieces which are thin walled and tightly painted. The imagery on much of his pottery is derived from pre-historic pottery designs. This jar is a more classic Laguna shape with the high shoulder. The designs, however, are among his more complicated. The neck has an angular lightning design while the base has a more linear version. In the center of the jar is a modified style of the Tularosa swirl from the ancient black-and-white Tularosa pottery. This design has been squared off and has contrasting bold black and fine-line painted designs. The result is imagery that evokes rain and swirling clouds. The black and white coloration gives this jar both an ancient and very contemporary appearance. Note on the rim that there is a painted “spirit line”, which is where the “spirit” of the painter is able to leave the piece. It is seen on much of the historic Acoma and Laguna pottery. It is signed on the bottom.
$ 400.00
Myron Sarracino is one of the few Laguna potters working today. He learned to make pottery from Gladys Paquin and creates pieces which are thin walled and tightly painted. The imagery on much of his pottery is derived from pre-historic pottery designs. This jar has a sloping shoulder and a short neck. It’s a great shape for this dynamic lighting design. Looking from the bottom of the design upwards, there is a square mesa pattern. The remainder of the jar is painted with a lightning pattern. Myron reveals his ability to match shape and design with the flow of the pattern. This is also one of those iconic designs for Acoma pottery which was revived by Lucy M. Lewis. Note on the rim that there is a painted “spirit line”, which is where the “spirit” of the painter is able to leave the piece. It is seen on much older Acoma and Laguna pottery. It is signed on the bottom.
$ 280.00
This is a Simple but elegant bowl by Russell Sanchez. He continues to be one of the true innovators in Pueblo pottery. Each piece is perfectly coil built, stone polished and etched. The top of this bowl is carved with hard melon ribs. Each rib extends to the mouth of the piece with a narrow edge. Each rib is stone polished black. The lower sections of the bowl are polished a deep red. Around the side is a checkerboard snow design in black and tan. The deep red color is a revival by Russell as it is the same red clay slip which was used at San Ildefonso in the 1920’s and 30’s. Separating the various bands on the side of the jar is inset hematite hei-shi beads. Note how small they are and the shine! The lid is polished deep red with a single inset band of hei-shi beads. The shape, creative design and highly polished surface are striking on this piece. It is signed on the bottom in the clay.
Click here to read: Russell Sanchez: Contemporizing the Pueblo Pottery Past
$ 5,400.00
It is very rare that we come across a black-on-red piece by Tonita Roybal. This bowl is a piece from 1932. Tonita and her mother, Dominguita Pino, were both very well known for their black-on-red pottery before the advent of the black-on-black pottery in 1920. This bowl has beautifully painted designs in the band around the shoulder. There are mountain, cloud and rain patterns. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Tonita”. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. This bowl has exceptional provenance. It was part of the original collection of Dick Howard and featured in the booklet published on her pottery. It also has the original Indian Market sticker for 1932! Amazing! This is definitely a piece of history, as much as piece of art!
$ 5,500.00
Tony Da had a short career which spanned from 1967-82. Tony began making bears as early as his first show in 1967 at Gallup Ceremonials. As they evolved they became more sculptural in form. This bear is an earlier one from around 1970-71. The bear is fully polished and fired red. The heartline and the inside of the legs is matte. There are two pieces of turquoise on the back and two for the eyes. The bear has an incised heartline which is symbolic of the strength of the bear. The bear is signed on the back foot in the clay. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
Tony Da had a short career which spanned from 1967-82. Tony began making bears as early as his first show in 1967 at Gallup Ceremonials. As they evolved they became more sculptural in form. This bear is an earlier one from around 1969 which is fully polished red. The hei-shi beads are from Santo Domingo Pueblo and are shell. The arrowhead on the back Tony would find or acquire at the right length to match the scale of the bear. There are turquoise eyes as well. The bear has an incised heartline which is symbolic of the strength of the bear. The bear is signed on the back foot in the clay. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
Tse-Pe Gonzales and his wife, Dora, began working together around 1971. Dora would make the pottery and Tse-Pe would etch the designs. This jar is an exceptional piece of their pottery. The jar has a round shoulder which comes to a sharp edge and then up to an elongated neck. The rim is two-tone black and sienna. The jar itself is fired to striking gunmetal coloration. The avanyu is etched into the clay around the shoulder and there is a single inset of turquoise for the eye. The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay “Tse-Pe and Dora”. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. Tse-Pe and Dora worked individually from the 1980-2000, but their early collaborative work remains innovative, creative and of the highest quality even compared to many of today’s potters.
$ 1,500.00
This small plate is intricately designed by Blue Corn. Blue Corn began by making black-on-black pottery but it is her polychrome potter for which she is the most famous. This plate has a cloud and lightning design painted with a green slip and a prayer feather and rain pattern in brown clay. It is on a white stone polished surface. While the plate is small, the design is complex. It is signed on the back in the clay, “Blue Corn”. The bowl is in good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 600.00
This small bowl is deeply carved by Blue Corn. Blue Corn began by making black-on-black pottery but it is her polychrome potter for which she is the most famous. This bowl is carved with an avanyu encircling the piece. The bowl is fully polished a white coloration and then painted with a black mineral slip. The background is a slipped with a brown clay. It was traditionally fired. It is not often we see her carved work on such a small piece in various color. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Blue Corn”. The bowl is in good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. “.
$ 600.00
Dextra Quostkuyva Nampeyo is certainly one of the most influential Hopi-Tewa potters of the last 50 years. Not only has she taught numerous potters (Steve Lucas, Yvonne Lucas, Les Namingha, Loren Ami, Hisi Nampeyo, to name just a few), but her creative designs and forms changed have dramatically influenced the pottery itself. This is an earlier jar from the 1970’s. It is thin walled with a wide shoulder and turned out rim. The shape certainly reminds one of her mother, Rachel Nampeyo’s pottery. The design is very intricately painted with a katsina mask on either side of an intricately painted spider design. Separating the katsina masks are bird patterns highlight with a deep red clay. The lines are very thin and close, as would be expected from her pottery! This jar is signed on the bottom, “Dextra Quotskuyva (Nampeyo)”. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. There is a tag from its entry into the New Mexico State Fair in the 1970’s. A fascinating jar with an equally interesting design!
$ 5,200.00
In the 1950’s Maria Martinez created a series of pieces which were simply stone polished with no design. As she primarily made the pottery and polished it this was fitting with the other pieces of her career. This jar is striking in both shape and polish. It has a wide shoulder with a sharp ridge and a short neck. It is a form which is readily recognizable as her style. The jar is fully polished and fired to a gunmetal appearance. The jar was probably fired by her son, Popovi, as the gunmetal encompasses nearly the entire surface. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Maria Poveka”. This is a combination of her Anglo and Tewa names. Her name, “Poveka” means “Water Lilly”. The jar is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
https://kinggalleries.com/maria-martinez-signatures/
$ 4,800.00
Grace Medicine Flower began her career making miniature pottery with incised designs. This bowl is from 1989, at the height of when she was carving into the rim of her pottery. It was also a very brief period when she used clay slips of various colors for her pottery. This one has white and blue additional colors added to the birds. Grace said that Joseph Lonewolf (her brother) gave her the clay colors and then when she ran out she didn’t get any more. This bowl has three medallions with hummingbirds and medicine flowers. The rim is carved as are various other sections of the bowl It is very highly polished and fired a deep red. It is certainly one of her classics and in a smaller size! It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Grace Medicine Flower”. It is in perfect condition and just stunning in person!
$ 3,200.00
James Garcia Nampeyo is a son of Leah Garcia Nampeyo, a grandson of Fannie Nampeyo and a great-grandson of Nampeyo of Hano. This is a large wide shoulder jar by James. It is fully stone polished and painted with an intricate prayer feather and cloud motif. The designs are painted with bee-weed (black) and a red clay slip. In the center of each section are two prayer feathers in red and black. The jar is traditionally fired with some slight blushes to the surface. It is signed on the bottom.
$ 775.00
This is a larger and unusual shaped bowl by Camilio Tafoya. The shape has two kiva step terraces on each side. They each have a medallion in the center etched with a human figure. The sides are etched with a sash design with feathers on the end. The bowl is polished on the outside. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Camilio Sunflower Tafoya”. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. Camilio was a brother to Margaret Tafoya and the father of Joseph Lonewolf and Grace Medicine Flower.
$ 800.00
Iris Nampeyo is a daughter of Fannie Nampeyo and a well known for her elegant asymmetrical vessels with corn as part of the design in relief. Iris began using the corn in relief on the surface of her pottery in the early 1980’s. The corn is symbolic of being part of the Corn Clan. The surface of the bowl is stone polished and the corn on the front is in applique relief. The husk of the corn is sharp and the matte area extends around to the base of the jar. The matte areas are in contrast to the remainder of the piece which is polished. The opening is asymmetrical which is in keeping with the organic style of the form. What is very unusual on this piece is the coloration, which is a white clay with black areas from the firecloud. It is stunning in appearance and the swirls of color around the sruface. There is a simplicity and elegance in her pottery. While she no longer makes pottery, her vessels remain classic. This piece is signed on the bottom in the clay and it is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 1,200.00
Lois Gutierrez is one of the few potters who continue to create traditional polychrome (more than 3 colors of clay) pottery at Santa Clara Pueblo. This is a traditional style water jar with the low shoulder and elongated neck and slightly turned out rim. The jar is painted with natural clay slips and there are over five different colors used. Around the neck there are two eagles in a tumbling or swirling position. The base has a cloud and rain design in red. The jar has been traditionally fired outdoor and overall is a striking coloration. It is signed on the indented bottom of the jar. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 1,200.00
This is a classic wedding vase by Mabel Sunn from the 1970’s. The piece is made using an paddle-and-anvil technique and twice fired. The black designs are derived from a mixture of mesquite sap and cactus spines. Today, there are very few Maricopa artists making pottery. This vase is unusual for the design of the scorpion on both sides. However, it is wonderfully painted and design which is distinctive to her pottery. The wedding vase is signed, “M. Sunn” on the bottom. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 350.00
This jar by Maria Martinez is one of her classic pieces. It was made by Maria Martinez and painted by her daughter-in-law Santana. It has a very highly polished surface. The design around the rim is a cloud pattern, while the design around the neck of the jar is a thinly painted rain, lightning, and cloud pattern. Note on this piece how the design is painted so that large areas of polished surface remain revealed. The sharp shoulder and sloping neck are an excellent example of Maria’s pottery from this time. The jar is signed on the bottom, “Marie + Santana”. It is in very condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. Definitely a classic!
$ 2,500.00
This is a classic bowl by Maria Martinez and her son, Popovi Da. Maria made and polished the bowl while it was painted by her son, Popovi Da (1923-1971). The jar is highly polished and has a feather pattern around the shoulder. The bowl is very highly polished and the bowl is fired a dark black. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Maria Popovi 168“. The signature indicates that it was made around in January, 1968. The jar is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 2,200.00
This is an exceptional jar by Ida Sahmie. It is the Day Chant Dance with 15 male and female Yei-bi-chi dancers encircling the jar. The top half of the jar is polished while the bottom half is matte. The background area is the polished natural color of the clay. In the background, there are the mesas, clouds, and even birds! Note how she has also painted the shadows of each dancer extending to the base of the bowl. Ida also etches into the clay for the faces and the bodies, leather, and masks of each dancer. The bottom of the jar is painted with a step cloud design, which is also used on Navajo wedding baskets. The rim is polished red and painted with a mountain line and a spirit line break in the pattern. The jar is thin-walled and traditionally fired. Ida is a daughter-in-law of Priscilla Nampeyo and she continues to make beautifully formed pottery with wonderfully complex designs. She has won numerous awards for her pottery at events such as Santa Fe Indian Market. She is the only Navajo potter creating this unique style of ethnographic pottery. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Ida Sahmie”. This jar is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It also has a First Place ribbon from the 2012 Navajo Nation Fair.
$ 1,500.00
Lawrence Namoki has been known for a variety of styles in his pottery. This is an earlier piece of his pottery from the 1980’s. It is a seedpot entitled, “Buffalo Dance”. It has a male and female Buffalo Dancer on each side. The top of the seedpot has a sunface with a feather pattern. The Dancers are deeply carved into the clay and texturized. The various layers of carving to create shadows and depth to the seedpot. All the different colors are dervied from natural clay slips. The areas on the side and at the bottom of the seedpot are slipped so that it looks like wood. The seedpot is signed and titled on the bottom. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 500.00
This jar by Johnathan Naranjo captures his unique style of sgraffito and etching on his pottery. The jar is fully polished and the various colors are simply created by the depth of the etching into the clay! Jonathan continues to amaze with this designs and technique. There are two panels of birds. They are very intricately designed. Separating them are two sections of a ribbon pattern. The designs on the ribbon are classic Santa Clara designs. The rim is also designed with bird wing and geometric cloud motifs. The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay. Johnathan has won numerous awards for his pottery and Johnathan is definitely one of the young potters to watch!
$ 800.00
This gunmetal fired bowl is a striking piece by Maria Martinez and her son, Popovi Da. Maria made and polished the bowl and it was fired by her son, Popovi Da (1923-1971). Popovi focused on both the painted surfaces of the pottery as well as the firings. This bowl is a true gunmetal with very strong metallic appearance across most of the surface. There is even a slight hint of “goldtone” color. Interestingly, note the photo of the top of the bowl, and you can see from some of the coloration that it was fired upside down! It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Maria / Popovi 669”. The firing date is when the pottery was made, so this bowl was from June, 1969. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. Great gunmetal fired pieces by Maria and Popovi with such high polished surface are always stunning and a great addition to any collection! The very last photo consists of two pieces by Maria and Popovi Da. The one on the left is a black fired bowl and the other is this piece, which is gunmetal. I thought it would be helpful to see the difference in coloration.
$ 2,400.00
This is certainly one of the most unique jars we have had by Maria Martinez. The jar is from the 1920’s and it was made by Maria Martinez and her husband, Julian. It is the actual form, with the indented sections around the shoulder, which is so unusual! Maria is known for her traditional shapes and highly polished surfaces. In the 1920’s, this long neck style of jar was one of her most classic forms. The last image in this post shows her working on a jar with indented sides! It is not a style which she made after the 1920’s and this is one of the first I have seen in person. However, each indention is fully polished, as is the entire jar. The neck was painted by Julian and there is a cloud pattern and a turned out neck. The jar was traditionally fired and has a nearly gunmetal appearance. It is a creative piece of her pottery and an extraordinary part of the history of her pottery. The jar is signed, “Marie” in the bottom. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. There are few small surface scratches, but nothing unexpected with the age of the jar. It is not just exciting but an honor to have such a historically important jar come back into the gallery!
$ 4,200.00
This is one of the more complex painted jar we have had by Maximiliana “Anna” Martinez, who was a sister of Maria Martinez. It is fully polished and painted with a water seprent (avanyu), encircling the jar. It is the complexity of the avanyu which makes the piece so distinctive. Note the fine lines and the clouds above the avanyu. The jar was fired black and has near-gunmetal appearance. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Anna”. Why is the work of Anna Martinez important? Interestingly, Maria would often say she was the best painter in the family. She was married to Cresencio Martinez, who was known for his paintings and was also a brother to Tonita Roybal. One can begin to see how her talent was easily fostered by those around her making a jar like this simply a classic!
Click here for more information on the Early San Ildefonso Innovators!
$ 1,800.00
Tonita Roybal remains one of the great innovative names in San Ildefonso pottery. This smaller jar has her classic sharp shoulder. The neck has a painted plant design which encircles the piece. The jar is highly polished and fired to a great gunmetal coloration. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Tonita”. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. A note on the provenance: The small sticker on the bottom denotes that it was from the collection of Dick Howard, as that was his early numbering system.
$ 600.00
It is not often that we come across a large bowl by Maria Martinez in such great condition. This bowl is from 1920-25 and it was made and polished by Maria Martinez and painted by her husband, Julian. These early pieces are signed, “Marie”, although Julian was painting the designs. It was not until around 1925 that they began to sign both names to the pottery. This bowl has a wide mouth and the painting is on the side around the shoulder. The design is a very early style of the eagle feather pattern. Note at the top of the feather, the rectangular black matte area, which is in the center of the feather. As time progress, that moved to one side so that it was easier to paint, as it took more time to paint it in the center of the feather. However, the result is always visually striking with the older style. This bowl is highly polished and fired with near-gunmetal areas on the surface. The gunmetal color achieved on these early pieces was from the heat of the firing. The bowl is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Marie”.
To learn more about Maria’s signatures, click here.
$ 8,500.00
In the 1950’s Maria Martinez created a series of pieces which were simply stone polished with no design. As she primarily made the pottery and polished it this was fitting with the other pieces of her career. This tall bowl is fully polished and fired to a near gunmetal appearance. The gunmetal shine was achieved by the heat of the firing. The bowl is signed in the clay, “Maria Poveka”. This is a combination of her Anglo and Tewa names. Her name, “Poveka” means “Water Lilly”. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 2,400.00
This is a very unusual canteen by Jennie Trammel. Over the years we have had several of her canteens which were made in this same style with the flat base and designs on both sides. This canteen has a carved bear paw on one side. The unusual part of this canteen is the opposite side, which has carved avanyu with a center medallion in tan. The carving around the avanyu is very deep, as are the bands around the bear paw. I looked back and in over 20 years, I’ve never had a piece by her with tan polished designs. The red is a clay slip while the tan is achieved by using water to create the coloration of the clay. The carving is very deep and the piece is a very deep red. The background area is matte and the traditional creame colored clay slip. The canteen is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed, “Jennie Trammel” in the clay on bottom. Definitely one of her classics!
$ 3,400.00
Shirley Tafoya was the youngest daughter of Margaret Tafoya and known for her miniature pottery. This bowl is from 1980. It is very deeply carved with a water serpent encircling the piece. The entire surface is fully polished. Shirley etched the eye and the mouth of the avanyu. The water serpent is a classic Santa Clara design telling the story of how the avanyu saved the village from a flood. The bowl is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Shirley Cactus Blossom Tafoya”. A classic of Tafoya Family pottery!
$ 1,000.00
Stunning! This is an exceptional jar by Jennie Trammel. She was a daughter of Margaret Tafoya. Over the years Jennie did not make a lot of pottery as she lived a very private life and was virtually never involved in markets or gallery shows. However, she created striking pottery with classic shapes and designs which were distinctive to her work. Each piece was coil built and it was the carving, with the rounded edges, which was a visual key to her work. This tall jar has a low shoulder, which gives it lots of space for design. The central areas is fully carved with three rising sun designs. They are separated by three cloud motifs descending downward. Jennie continues to fascinate with her designs, as they are images that few other Santa Clara potters use in their work. As well, as on this piece, her choice to use three designs instead of four, is more difficult and unusual. The carving is very deep and the piece is a very deep red. The background area is matte and the traditional creame colored clay slip. The jar is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. There are a couple of areas of slip loss on the edge of some of the carving, which might have happened at the time of firing and are not unusual in her larger pottery. The jar is signed, “Jennie Trammel” in the clay on bottom. Definitely one of her classics!
$ 4,000.00
Shirley Tafoya was the youngest daughter of Margaret Tafoya. They each created distinctive styles of carved pottery. This is one of the only pieces Margaret made with her daughter, Shirley. Shirley told me when I was writing “Born of Fire” that Margaret had made the bowl and she asked Shirley to carve a kiva step design into the clay. Shirley then polished the bowl. The bowl is highly polished and traditionally fired. The kiva steps were a significant choice:
“The kiva step pattern is a classic design see on much of Margaret Tafoya’s pottery. That particular design has three steps, representing the kiva where religious ceremonies take place on the Pueblo. From the kitchen window of Margaret’s house, their clan kiva could also be seen while they worked. Again, the tradition of form and design, of passing on knowledge to the next generation, were all a daily presence in Margaret’s pottery and life”. Born of Fire, p. 100
This bowl is from the 1980’s and it is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Shirley Cactus Blossom Tafoya, Margaret Tafoya”. It is an amazing piece of history, culture and Pueblo tradition! The last photos are one from the book, Born of Fire along with a photo of Margaret and Shirley Tafoya.
$ 3,400.00
This is a striking fully polished water jar by Margaret Tafoya. It is from the 1960’s. It is an elegant shape with a long neck and a “double shoulder”. The double shoulder was also called a “rainbow ridge” by Margaret and her mother, Sarafina Tafoya. It adds to the difficulty of a piece as the second ridge requires the potters to create a rise from the shoulder to a second shoulder to the neck. The jar is stone polished all at one time and then fired to a deep black. It is from the 1960’s and it is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Margaret Tafoya”. This shape and size is definitely a classic of her work!
“She [Margaret Tafoya] made water jars sitting outside the adobe house, and they would never crack on her. There’s a rainbow band on the shoulder. She would sit on the floor with her legs straight out and make the pots that way. Today we stand up and make our pots.” LuAnn Tafoya and Toni Roller, Spoken Through Clay
$ 8,800.00
Christina Naranjo was a daughter of SaraFina Tafoya and a sister of Margaret Tafoya and Camilio Tafoya. She was known for her classic style carved Santa Clara pottery. This is definitely the largest piece of her pottery we have had in the gallery. It is a tall water jar with a long neck. Around the body of the piece, it is fully carved with a water serpent (avanyu), as the design. The avanyu encircles the jar in a band of design but note the exceptional complexity of the imagery. The area clouds and rain and lightning in the pattern and they utilize the normal band but also the negative space. The long neck is also fully polished. The style of her carving is certainly significantly different than that of her sister, Margaret Tafoya. The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Christina Naranjo”. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. Christina has a wonderful legacy in the work of her daughters Mary Cain and Teresita Naranjo, as well as her great-granddaughters Tammy Garcia and Autumn Borts.
$ 2,800.00
Rebecca Lucario is known for her delicate and intricately painted pottery. She uses traditional Acoma clay and paints with bee-weed (a plant) and clay slips. Ever since one of her plates appeared on the cover the “Changing Hands” exhibition catalog, her work has become iconic with fine-line style painting. This larger plate has a fineline center design. This emanates out into the “petals” of the flower which are a series of diamond shaped patterns. They are either filled in black, painted with fine-lines or painted with and outlined “x” design. The design starts small but gets larger as it nears the rim. The rim of the jar is painted with a red clay slip. The intricate design of the plate is certainly visually dynamic! It is signed on the back, “R. Lucario, Acoma, 2018”.
$ 2,800.00
This is an extraordinary box by Dolores Curran. She continues to create intricately incised and painted pottery. This piece combines both the incised polychrome pottery inspired by her late husband, Alvin Curran, and her delicately painted buff-on-red style. The painted areas of the box are amazing in detail and time-consuming. Everything has to be repainted at least four times for the color to appear solid! The outside of the box is fully polished and has feathers, prayer feathers, clouds and turtles as the design. There is also a water serpent along the rim. The top of the side of the box is mica slipped and has painted cloud designs which extend over the rim. The lid is incised with a feather pattern, along with two sections of prayer feathers. There are various clay colors to create white and red. The center of the lid has a painted avanyu and the rim of the lid has another avanyu! Turn the lid over and there is an incised butterfly! I’ll say it again, the work and detail on a piece of her work this size is extraordinary! The box is signed on the bottom in the clay.
$ 3,800.00
Bobby Silas is an exceptional potter creating revival Siktayki pottery using similar clay and firing techniques to those pieces created between 1100 and 1600. Are you familiar with Sikyatki? In Hopi, Sikyátki means “Yellow House” and it is known for its distinctive style of pottery. The vessels were large and painted with a wide variety of designs. It was this pottery which was excavated beginning in 1895 which inspired Nampeyo of Hano to create her own stylized versions. Bobby has been making his own coil built pieces from clay local to Hopi and painted with natural clay slips and bee-weed/mustard plant for the black. Interestingly, he has taken the time to seek out the local lignite coal which the Siktayki potters used to fire their pottery. It burns hot and gives the pieces a distinctive coloration and it is also a very high firing, which makes them very hard. In terms of designs, Bobby says that he seeks out both older pieces and looks at older designs for inspiration.
This large jar is a classic Sikyatki shape with the very wide shoulder and slightly turned out rim. This large jar is amazingly thin walled and painted with a variety of designs. Extending downwards in the rectangles are the “prayer feathers’. The circles on the design represent where a piece of turquoise would be placed on the bundle. The feathers extending downward are meant to be Eagle fluff (white), woodpecker (black/white) and Blue Jay (red, as Bobby said he doesn’t have a blue slip.). The interesting part of the design is the larger painted panels which are the classic “eagle tail” design. Bobby said that he thinks that they are Flickertails, as the birds tail design represents the speed of one’s prayers and the Flickers are fast! The various colors are all derived from natural clay slips. The painting on his pottery is interesting as if you look closely it has a more “painterly” appearance as he is using the older red clay seen on Hopi-Tewa pottery before the 1930’s. The jar itself has off-white coloration from the firing and there are blushes across the surface. Because of the use of lignite coal, the blushes are different in coloration from the classic manure firings. If you are like me, I have to stop and adjust my view to understand the variation in firing techniques and how they impact the color of the clay. The jar is signed on the bottom with a coyote track (Coyote Clan) and his name. It’s exciting to see an artist delve into the past for inspiration and take the time to seek out the historic methods of firing. Bobby has recently won awards at the Museum of Northern Arizona for his pottery and we look forward to seeing how his pottery evolves over time!
$ 4,000.00
This is a striking but unusual collaborative piece by Christina Naranjo and her daughter, Teresita Naranjo. The jar was made by Christina and is one of her classic round shapes with the slight neck. It was carved by Teresita with a very deep style of carving. The jar has a water serpent (avanyu) encircling the piece. Note that there is Teresita’s signature style of negative space carving with the clouds descending from the rim. The carving on the horn of the avanyu is especially deep, crips and very thin! The jar is in good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. There are some minor scratches on the surface. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Teresita + Christina”. It is interesting that in over 20 years, I have had several pieces which were signed by both Christina and Mary Cain (another daughter) but this is the first one I have had by Christina and Teresita. It’s nice to see in a collaborative piece that their individuality in shape (Christina) and carving (Terestia) are so distinctive. Christina Naranjo was a sister of Margaret Tafoya and Camilio Tafoya, as well as the matriarch of the family of potters including Teresita Naranjo and Tammy Garcia.
$ 1,400.00
This bowl by Effie Garcia is deeply carved and highly polished. It has a Mountain pattern with the wind flowing off the surface fo which is carved into the clay. The design is then outlined with a clay slip and the remainder of the bowl is highly polished. It is fired a deep black. The high polish and angle from the shoulder make her work distinctive. It is signed on the bottom in the clay.
$ 550.00
Mary Cain was known for her classic style Santa Clara pottery. A daughter of Christina Naranjo, she was a matriarch of a family of classic style pottery. This jar has along neck and it is deeply carved with an avanyu which encircles the piece. As the jar is turned there are cloud and water motifs. It is highly polished and the background has the traditional cream colored clay slip. It is signed on the bottom, “Mary Cain”. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 800.00
Jessie Garcia is one of the great names in Acoma pottery. Between 1950 and 1970, she along with Lucy Lewis and Marie Z. Chino, led the revival of Acoma pottery. This jar is a classic Acoma shape with the high shoulder and slight neck. The jar is fully painted with a plant and lightning design. Note how the plant leaves interconnect across the entire surface! The jar is painted with bee-weed (black) and traditionally fired. It is signed on the bottom, “Jessie Garcia” It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 675.00
Lolita Concho was among those potters helping to revive historic Acoma pottery designs and forms in the 1970’s. This jar is from the 1970’s. It is a unique shape with two spouts. The designs are a variation of lighting and rain designs. There is a striking flow of design on both sides. Note as well the painting on the side with additional cloud swirls. It is an exceptional piece in size and design. The jar is signed on the bottom, “L. Concho”. It is in good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 800.00
Sarah Garcia (1928-2015) was born at Laguna Pueblo to Maria Trujillo. However, she spent her adult life at Acoma Pueblo. She, along with Jessie Garcia, Lucy M. Lewis, and Marie Z. Chino, were largely responsible for the revival of Anasazi and Tularosa designs on contemporary Acoma vessels. Her daughter Goldie Hayah continues making pottery. This is a classic style Acoma jar with very tightly painted designs. There are lightning and rain patterns encompassing the surface of the bowl. The bowl is signed on the bottom, “Sarah Garcia”. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 600.00
This is a fully designed bowl by Gloria Garcia. It is fully polished and fired black. The bowl has a series of Pueblo style deer encircling the piece. Each is etched into the clay and note how the body of each deer has additional etched designs. There is a cloud design around the neck and a single inset piece of coral. It is very highly polished and a very classic design. It is signed on the bottom, “Golden Rod”.
$ 600.00
Kimberly Riley Honyumptewa is from Laguna Pueblo and married to Aaron Honyumptewa who is Hopi/Picuris. She learned to make pottery from her mother-in-law Caroline Simbolo Cine in the traditional Picuris style and using native clay from the area. Each piece is coil built and traditionally fired. This bowl is thin walled and has a braided handle. The piece is traditionally fired so there are beautiful blushes across the surface. It is signed on the bottom. Will be exciting to see how Kimberly’s work continues to evolve in creating more Picuris pottery!
$ 125.00
Caroline Simbolo Sine is from Picuris Pueblo. Simbolo is one of the great names in Picuris pottery. Caroline is the mother of Aaron Honyumptewa and taught his wife, Kimberly Riley Honyumptewa to make pottery. This bowl is made from Picuris micaceous clay. It is a classic stew bowl shape. It is fully polished on the inside and outside. It is traditionally fired outdoors which has created the striking deep colorations on the surface. It is signed on the bottom. This is the first piece we have had from Caroline and pleased to have such traditional Picuris pottery in the gallery!
$ 145.00
Kimberly Riley Honyumptewa is from Laguna Pueblo and married to Aaron Honyumptewa who is Hopi/Picuris. She learned to make pottery from her mother-in-law Caroline Simbolo Cine in the traditional Picuris style and using native clay from the area. Each piece is coil built and traditionally fired. This bowl is thin walled and has a scalloped rim and a handle. The piece is traditionally fired so there are beautiful blushes across the surface. It is signed on the bottom. Will be exciting to see how her work evolves in creating more Picuris pottery!
$ 125.00
Madeline Naranjo creates beautifully carved and polished pottery. Each piece is coil built, stone polished and traditionally fired. This jar has a round body and an elongated neck. There are four bears carved into the clay. They alternate between matte and polished. Above them is a carved cloud design. The contrast of the matte and polished surfaces works perfectly, especially with the polished neck. Note as well how her matte areas are sanded and perfectly smooth so that there are no indentations or areas where the matte might make a shadow. Her designs are always innovative and beautifully executed. The jar is signed on the bottom.
$ 275.00
Madeline Naranjo creates beautifully carved and polished pottery. Each piece is coil built, stone polished and traditionally fired. This larger bowl has four turtles carved into the clay. They are each deeply carved and matte, while surrounded by a stone polished surface. The contrast of the matte and polished surfaces works perfectly, especially with the polished neck. Note as well how her matte areas are sanded and perfectly smooth so that there are no indentations or areas where the matte might make a shadow. Her designs are always innovative and beautifully executed. The jar is signed on the bottom.
$ 450.00
Geri Naranjo is known for her intricately etched miniature pottery. This jar is round with just a slight neck. The piece is fully polished and nearly fully incised with four bands of design. Around the top band is an avanyu and below a band of feathers. Below the feathers are two bands of cloud, rain and feather patterns. The jar is signed on the bottom, “Geri Naranjo” It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is a striking piece and amazing in the complexity of the design work!
$ 375.00
Kimberly Riley Honyumptewa is from Laguna Pueblo and married to Aaron Honyumptewa who is Hopi/Picuris. She learned to make pottery from her mother-in-law Caroline Simbolo Cine in the traditional Picuris style and using native clay from the area. Each piece is coil built and traditionally fired. These two miniature are traditional water jar and bowl shapes. They are made from Picuris clay and traditionally fired. There are slight blushes on the surfaces of both pieces. They are each signed on the bottom. Kimberly has been making pottery for the past year and we look forward to her continuation of this traditional pottery.
$ 50.00
Greg Lonewolf is the son of Joseph Lonewolf and is known for his intricately incised miniatures. This is a set of five miniatures, each very intricately etched and designed. There is a dragonfly, which is the largest. The Turtle seedpot has a turtle on top and feathers on the side. The Fish seedpot has three Mimbres style fish encircling the piece. The duck seedpot has a Mimbres duck on the front and a realistic duck on the back. The smallest is the Mimbres Frog seedpot with a realistic frog on the back. Each piece is fully polished and highlighted with additional clay slips. The contrasts of size and intricate realism is exceptional. Each piece is signed and the dragonfly seedpot says “set of 5” and each has a number in the set (1-5). They are each in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. While Greg no longer makes pottery, his work remains exceptional. If there is interest in breaking up the set, I will consider it but thought it was a unique opportunity for the whole group to remain intact.
$ 1,800.00
Elizabeth White created distinctive pottery using the various colors of Hopi clay. She originated the use of the ear of corn as a design in repousse (pushed out from the inside) on her pottery. Her pottery is all signed in the clay with her Hopi name Polingaysi, which means, “butterfly sitting among the flowers in the breeze”. This jar is one of her classic pieces with two ears of corn. The coloration of the clay is the distinctive and much sought after “mauve”. The entire piece is stone polished to a high shine except for the two ears of corn which are unpolished matte. The narrow shape is very much like the jars that her nephew Al Qoyawayma makes which he calls “wish pots”. He tells the story that the name comes from Elizabeth as she said people would look at the pieces and say, “I wish I could have one”. This jar is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. Interestingly, Polingaysi was a school teacher and taught at Hopi and Navajo schools for almost 40 years. On retirement from teaching, she became an artist, a poet, and a philosopher. Her career as a potter was begun late in life, after her retirement, so there is very little of her work available. It is a classic of her work and an important addition to any collection!
$ 1,200.00
This jar by Al Qoyawayma is made from mauve Hopi clay. It is from 1996 and the shape is what Al calls a “Harmony Jar”. It has a round body and an elongated neck with a turned out rim. The jar is vertically polished creating an “onion skin” appearance to the surface. The design on the jar is a single carved area which has a corn design carved into the clay. It is a simple, but elegant form and design. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay.
$ 2,500.00
This jar by Al Qoyawayma is made from red Hopi clay. It is from 1990 and has a round body and an asymmetric neck. The entire piece is fully polished except for the two ears of corn. They are pushed out in the clay, carved and texturized and are matte. The style of the corn is reminiscent of the work of his aunt, Elizabeth White. She would often incorporate corn as a design on her pottery. The coloration of the matte and polished red is striking. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay.
$ 2,500.00
Charles Loloma is a name synonymous with innovative Hopi jewelry. He began his jewelry career with a brief period of time also making pottery in the 1950’s. The pieces were made form earthenware and were painted and glazed. By the 1960’s his jewelry was already achieving some fame and he discontinued making pottery. His clay pieces are relatively rare but fascinating in terms of form, design and glaze. In many ways they mirror the innovative style of his jewelry relative to the other work being created at Hopi at the same time. This tall jar is fully designed with corn maiden motifs. They are etched into the clay. The surface is matte but the rim is glazed. This is certainly an exceptional piece of his pottery! It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Loloma”.
$ 1,800.00
Iris Nampeyo comes from a family of talented potters including her siblings: Tonita Nampeyo, Tom Polacca, Elva Nampeyo and Leah Garcia Nampeyo. Iris is a granddaughter of Nampeyo of Hano and a daughter of Fannie Nampeyo. She is married to Wallace Youvella and their son Nolan is also a talented potter. Iris is best known for her buff colored pottery with the single ear of corn as the design. This tall seedpot of hers from the late 1970’s. It is fully polished and there is a single ear of corn in appliqué on one side. The corn husk area is more simple than in her later work and the corn itself has a larger and more dramatic appearance on the jar. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Iris Youvella Nampeyo”.
$ 350.00
Lucy Lewis is one of the great Matriarch potters of the past century. This bowl is coil built and painted using bee-weed, a plant. The design consists of three heartline deer. This imagery is a classic to both Acoma and Zuni pottery, with the heartline signifying the center or “heart” of the animal. This bowl is thin walled and delicately painted. It was traditionally fired so the white has much more of a pearlescent coloration, which creates added depth. In the 1980’s the surfaces of her pieces were more highly polished, giving them a smoother feel. The bowl is signed on the bottom, “Lucy M. Lewis”. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 1,500.00
Lucy Lewis is one of the great Matriarch potters of the 1900’s. She was an important revivalist of Acoma pottery throughout her career. This jar is coil built and painted with a fine-line cloud pattern. There are rain designs painted on the long end of the triangles. The three bands of design read not only horizontally but also diagonally. Lucy would paint her pieces with bee-weed for the black and each piece was traditionally fired outdoors. This bowl is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom, “Lucy M. Lewis”.
$ 825.00
Barbara & Joseph Cerno are known for their large coil built vessels. This miniature is coil built and painted with two Mimbres style bugs as the design. There is some very intricate fineline and hatchwork designs. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom, “B.J. Cerno”. Barbara & Joseph remain among the most renown contemporary Acoma potters for their revival of historic patterns.
$ 75.00
This bowl by Gloria Garcia is fully polished and etched with one of her more realistic scenes. There are six buffalo on this piece. Each of the buffalo is detailed with design and there are additional cloud and lightning designs surrounding them. There is an additional white clay slip used as part of the lightning design in the sky. There are even a few gophers in the scene as well! This bowl is very highly polished and fired a deep red. It is signed on the bottom with her Tewa name “GoldenRod”.
$ 550.00
Barbara & Joseph Cerno are known for their large coil built vessels. This smaller encapsulates the best of their shapes and designs. The jar is a classic Acoma water jar shape. The jar is very thin walled and first slipped with a white clay. The jar is painted with three parrots on the sides. Surrounding the parrots are flower and rainbow designs. Above the parrots are three smaller birds with flowers and plant motifs. The black is all bee-weed (a plant) and there two different colors of red (red and orange-red) which are used paint the designs and some of the areas are stone polished. The jar is traditionally fired with some blushes on the inside. The jar has a striking flow and complexity of imagery on the jar. It was made in 2005. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. Barbara & Joseph remain among the most renown contemporary Acoma potters for their revival of historic patterns.
$ 975.00
Elizabeth Medina is known for traditional style of Zia pottery. Each piece is coil built, painted with native clays and native fired. Did you know that Zia potters mix volcanic basalt into their clay to give it strength? This jar has a low shoulder and it is painted with three birds. Each bird is different in body style, wings and color. Separating each bird is a large flower. Each flower has polished petals. Around the neck is a intricately painted rain design. It is a very intricately painted jar for the size. The jar is signed on the bottom, “Elizabeth Medina, Zia”.
$ 125.00
This jar by Jody Naranjo is from 2004. It is highly polished around the neck and the base. These area are fully etched with her signature “kiva step” design, as is the inside of the rim. The center band is matte. The design is a series of birds encircling the jar. The jar has flat sides, which creates as striking appearance to both the jar and the burnished surfaces. The brown coloration is derived from the outdoor firing process. The jar is signed, “Jody Naranjo” and it is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. Jody said of her designing:
“As for the design on the top and the bottom, it was the kiva step in the beginning. My family used them but just parts of them, the top half of the design. I started making them just around the top of the pot in one row. Then it became two rows and three rows, and then I started filling in between them. Now it looks more like a textile, and it’s a signature pattern that I do on everything.” Jody Naranjo, Spoken Through Clay
$ 2,400.00
This is an extraordinary carved open bowl by Autumn Borts-Medlock. She is known for her often fanciful carved pottery and use of unique shapes. The bowl is carved on the rim and the inside of the rim has etched stars. On the inside of the bowl, it is fully carved with a moon, star, mountain and river design. The stars, mountains, and clouds are all full polished. The river is carved using “melon ribs” to create the angles. It is amazing that she could carve into the center of the bowl with such precision! The back of the bowl is also fully carved with melon ribs, which replicate the design of the river! Not only visually creative but technically very difficult to create this style of the piece. It is traditionally fired black and signed on the back. The bowl has a metal museum mount in which it sits to show off the creative design!
$ 8,800.00
Linda Tafoya-Sanchez is a granddaughter of noted potter Margaret Tafoya and a daughter of Lee & Betty Tafoya. She is know for her intricately carved pottery. The jar is a variations of designs. Two sections are fully polished with carved corn plants. The opposite two medallions have hummingbirds as the design. Linda’s hummingbirds are exceptional with the rounded bodies. There are also areas where she has added a micaceous clay slip. Linda was among the first Santa Clara potters to begin using the mica as a design element after she was given some by her San Juan Pueblo in-laws. The jar is signed on the bottom, “Linda Tafoya-Sanchez”.
“The clay is a really important part of making the pottery. Listening to family members talk about how they used to get clay with Grandma and Grandpa [Margaret & Alcario Tafoya] and how they would make it an all-day venture. You feel that family connection when you are digging the clay out of the earth. It ties you to your home. There’s no other place you are going to find that kind of clay. You think about how many years people have dug that clay out of the earth, how many years Mother Earth has provided that clay for us.” Linda Tafoya-Sanchez, Spoken Through Clay
$ 2,000.00
This water jar by Joy “Frog Woman” Navasie is a distinctive shape. It is a more classic water jar shape with the round shoulder, elongated neck and turned out rim. The jar is fully polished on the inside and outside. It is slipped with the white clay and then painted with natural clay slips (the red is a deeper red clay she began to use in the 1980’s) and bee-weed (black). It’s nice to see this period of her work painted with such precision to the lines! The design is interesting, as there are two consecutive panels with birds. The other two panels are painted with a bird wing design and a series of rain and cloud motifs. The neck of the jar is also painted with a band of cloud and rain designs. Interestingly, the delineation of the panels on the neck are in the center of the panels below! Joy was always masterful with both the precision of her painting but also the geometry of her designs and the form. The jar was traditionally fired so there are some very slight variations in the coloration but primarily the white has the classic pearlescent depth of color. The jar is signed on the bottom with her Frog Hallmark. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 1,800.00
This smaller jar by Joy “Frog Woman” Navasie is one of her classic shapes. The jar has straight sides and it is polished on the inside and the outside. The jar is slipped with the white clay and then painted with natural clay slips and bee-weed (black). The sides of the jar are very tightly painted in four panels. It’s nice to see a smaller piece with such precision to the lines! Two panels are birds and the other two are bird tail designs. The black painted with bee-weed (a plant) and the red is a deeper red clay she began to use in the 1980’s. It has been traditionally fired so there are some variations in the coloration from white to almost a pinkish color. The jar is signed on the bottom with her Frog Hallmark. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 1,400.00
This is a larger bowl by Tom Tapia. It is highly polished and designed with four medallions. One is a Sun, while the others are different katsina figures. Separating the medallions are kivas with ladders. Around the base is another katsina figure which encircles the piece and has feather and rain designs. The bowl was fired black and then the reddish clay coloration is added after the firing. It is this color combination for which Tom achieved recognition. The bowl is signed, “Tom Tapia”. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 600.00
Preston Duwyenie is known for his Hopi pottery which blends modern and traditional aspects of the art. This jar is made from a white clay which he finds near Second Mesa at Hopi. The shape is interesting, as it is a much more Hopi-Tewa from with the wide shoulder and sloping neck. This is certainly a shape one would associate with Nampeyo fo Hano. The neck and area below the shoulder are fully polished. There is a band around the shoulder which has the shifting sand design is carved into the clay. What makes the “sand” area so fascinating is how Preston carves it so that it has a very natural appearance. Separating each of the three panels are rectangular sections, each with a single inset piece of silver. The silver insets are cast from cuttle-fish bone (a type of squid). The casting creates a similar style of ‘shifting sand’ design to complement the clay areas! The thin walls of the bowl, the organic feel of the shifting sand and the strength of the silver insets are elegant on this piece. The piece is signed on the bottom with is hallmark signed on the bottom in the clay with Preston’s hallmark which is a woman carrying a child and his Hopi name, which means “carried in beauty”. Preston is from Third Mesa at Hopi and taught ceramics for years at Institute of American Indian Art (IAIA) in Santa Fe.
Why the shifting sand designs? Preston says he remembers watching a smooth pebble caught in sand being shifted by the wind, “there was beauty in its isolation within the sea of sand. It was like an island. The endless sands of time, and the fact that people, too are tossed about by the wind. There is always rippling in our lives”.
$ 1,800.00
Sofia Medina and her daughter Lois Medina were known for traditional style of Zia pottery. Each piece was coil built, painted with native clays and native fired. This is jar is striking in design and a very classic Zia shape with the high shoulder and slight neck. The jar has an intricate cloud and rain design around the neck. Around the side of the jar it is very intricately painted with a stylized hummginbird, flower and plant patterns. This is an unusual bird style for them with the intricately painted wings of the hummingbirds, which are then slipped with clay to create the coloration. Note as well the use of the hatchwork designs which are very tightly painted. Did you know that Zia potters use volcanic basalt as their temper for the clay, which gives these pieces their stability but also weight. The jar is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the side, “Sofia & Lois Medina”.
$ 900.00
Hubert Candelario is one of the few potters from San Felipe Pueblo. He has been known for his micaceous pottery for over thirty years. This is an interesting and creative departure in his work. It is a smaller piece with a single dragonfly cut through the clay. There are numerous other holes of various sizes also cut through. The departure is the surface. Instead of a rough surface the surface has been burnished. The mica can still be seen and catches the light, but the surface is smooth. Looking inside and the rougher texture of the mica is visible. The polishing has given the piece a bit darker coloration. This is a new piece is from 2018 and an exciting variation on his style and designs. It is signed on the bottom.
$ 875.00
John Aragon is known for his use of Mimbres imagery on his pottery. This is one of his open bowls. Inside the bowl it is fully painted with about 50 lizards! Each lizard has a similar body with fine-line designs. They overall appearance is one of both ancient and modern. The outside of the bowl has a rain cloud designs. The bowl was made in 1999. Today, John makes almost no pottery but his pieces have their own distinctive style. The piece is signed on the bottom. It in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
$ 700.00
Frederica Antonio is renown for her intricately painted pottery. Each piece is coil built and then finely painted. Her designs are a series of fine vertical and horizontal lines which are then filled in to create larger images in the squares. This water jar has a sloping shape which sets off the designs. It is an amazingly intricate pattern which represents the four seasons. From top to bottom they are Fall (leaves, polychrome), Summer (rain, black and white), Spring (flowers, polychrome), Winter (snow, checkerboard). The top band has four different colors used to create the “leaves”. The optical illusion of the square inside squares and diamonds inside diamond shapes gives the appearance of movement. T he middle band of the four colors for the flowers is delicately painted. Her two black and white sections with the rain and snow are exceptionally tiny squares! The coloration includes two additional colors of clay. The entire jar is first painted black on white. Frederica noted that she paints the red first, then the brown color and then had to go back over all the black lines again one more time! The level of complexity and time involved on the painting of this piece is extraordinary! The result, however, is stunning with a dynamic appearance and movement to the designs. The base of the jar is concave, reminiscent of historic Acoma jars which were carried on the head. This combination of thin walls, classic shape and tightly painted design create a piece which is visually stunning! The jar is signed on the bottom.
$ 1,600.00
Myron Sarracino is one of the few Laguna potters working today. He learned to make pottery from Gladys Paquin and creates pieces which are thin walled and tightly painted. The imagery on much of his pottery is derived from pre-historic pottery designs. This jar is a more classic Laguna shape with the high shoulder. The designs, however, are among his more complicated. The neck has an angular lightning design while the base has a more linear version. In the center of the jar is a modified style of the Tularosa swirl from the ancient black-and-white Tularosa pottery. This design has been squared off and has contrasting bold black and fine-line painted designs. The result is imagery that evokes rain and swirling clouds. The black and white coloration gives this jar both an ancient and very contemporary appearance. Note on the rim that there is a painted “spirit line”, which is where the “spirit” of the painter is able to leave the piece. It is seen on much of the historic Acoma and Laguna pottery. It is signed on the bottom.
$ 400.00
Myron Sarracino is one of the few Laguna potters working today. He learned to make pottery from Gladys Paquin and creates pieces which are thin walled and tightly painted. The imagery on much of his pottery is derived from pre-historic pottery designs. This jar has a sloping shoulder and a short neck. It’s a great shape for this dynamic lighting design. Looking from the bottom of the design upwards, there is a square mesa pattern. The remainder of the jar is painted with a lightning pattern. Myron reveals his ability to match shape and design with the flow of the pattern. This is also one of those iconic designs for Acoma pottery which was revived by Lucy M. Lewis. Note on the rim that there is a painted “spirit line”, which is where the “spirit” of the painter is able to leave the piece. It is seen on much older Acoma and Laguna pottery. It is signed on the bottom.
$ 280.00
Locations: 4168 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - Phone: 480.481.0187 | 130 Lincoln Ave #D, Santa Fe, NM 87501 - Phone: 480.440.3912 | Email: kgs@kinggalleries.com
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