This is one of the largest bears we have had from Russell Sanchez.  He continues to use traditional techniques and materials to create his stunning works in clay.  This bear is highly polished and fired to a striking gunmetal coloration.  The bear has a wide body and a sculptural form.  From the mouth of the bear is a heartline, which is a traditional image used to symbolize the heart as the center of power in the animal.  In addition, the bear is a symbol of strength.  On this piece, the heartline extends backward and rises up on the back and turns into an old style avanyu (water serpent).  The style of the avanyu and the fine-line etching are inspired by the painted designs of Tonita Roybal in the 1920s.  The back half of the bear continues the heartline and has two additional avanyu.  Across the back of the bear are eight bands of square hematite hei-shi beads.  So, why hematite?  Russell has begun to use it on his recent pieces for several reasons. There is a traditional aspect in that women wear hematite bracelets when they do certain traditional dances at the Pueblo.  There is also hematite content in the clay slips use on the pottery.  Russell also notes that when he is able to fire his pieces to a gunmetal appearance, the hematite captures the shine and also gives them a contemporary appearance.  As Russell has said

“I’m a traditionalist all the way through.  Innovation is part of our tradition. You use the same materials and tools that you have, and the same design elements, and the Clay Mother will come through you for what she wants you to do,” he explains. “Instead of doing the same cloud pattern or serpent pattern, you take that and make it your own. So, in fact, everything I’m doing is old, but new.”  Russell Sanchez, Southwest Art Magazine

This bear is a stunning example of how the history and culture of San Ildefonso Pueblo is modernized in concept in his hands.  The bear is signed on the bottom in the clay.  Simply stunning!

This is a larger canteen by Virgil Ortiz.  The piece is coil built and painted with native clay slips and wild spinach (a plant) for the black.   The design on the front of the canteen is Tahu, the Blind Archer in her 1680 version.  The story for this imagery from the Pueblo Revolt 1680/2180 series.  Regarding Tahu, the Blind Archer, Virgil gave her the iconic line, “Don’t be blinded by your Fear”.  The last photo is one by Virgil of Tahu standing in the forest and you can see where he has taken this imagery to create the design on the canteen.  I wrote in Virgil Ortiz: Pueblo Revolt 1680/2180:

“In 2007 Ortiz began to identify and give form to characters who would populate his fictionalized version of the Pueblo Revolt: Tahu, a girl blinded by the Spanish conquistadors; Mopez, the leader of the Pueblo Runners; and the Castilians to represent the Spanish invaders. The characters who make up the Pueblo Revolt series are inspired by names and words in Keres (the indigenous language of Cochiti Pueblo) and other Puebloan languages. “Tahu” is a word used as a sign of respect for older Pueblo women. “Mopez” means “cardinal” and was the Keres name of Ortiz’s brother. “I wanted to use native language words and names to identify the characters. Part of the Revolt story had to be the actual events, but I also wanted it to tie into our language. If I could get the kids interested in history I might also be able to get them interested in our language and keep it alive.”

There are also two hummingbirds which are symbolic for Virgil’s mother, Seferina Ortiz, who taught him to make pottery.  Can you see the “spirit line” in the design? It is at the rim of the canteen.  The spirit line is a break in the painting and used on traditional Cochiti pottery.  Virgil has also incorporated his signature “x”, which is the turkey track into the designs.  The back of the canteen has a wildflower design which encircles the piece and flows onto the front.  The piece is signed on the back.   The use of traditional and contemporary imagery has become a standard for Virgil’s pottery as he pushes the boundaries of contemporary Native clay.

Aaron Honyumptewa is both Hopi and Picuris. He is known for his very intricately carved katinsa dolls.  In the last year he moved back to Picuris Pueblo in New Mexico, the home of his mother and family and has begun to learn to make pottery from his mother.  The pottery is the traditional style of Picuris Pueblo and Aaron says he is hoping to help revive the art form.  This jar has a high, round shoulder and a short neck.  The opening is oval in shape and gives the jar a very modern appearance.  The clay itself is a beautiful coloration with the classic gold clay color.  It was traditionally fired to create the blushes on the surface.  If Aaron works with the clay with the same creativity in which he carved katsinas, he has a bright future!

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 water jar has a beautiful coloration from the Picuris micaceous clay.  It is a water jar and the rim is fluted and just below the shoulder it is carved with a cloud pattern!  The base of the jar has a black coloration from the firing while the upper half is the gold clay color.  The jar is signed on the bottom.  Kimberly’s work continues to evolve in creating more dynamic Picuris pottery!

Aaron Honyumptewa is both Hopi and Picuris. He is known for his very intricately carved katinsa dolls.  In the last year he moved back to Picuris Pueblo in New Mexico, the home of his mother and family and has begun to learn to make pottery from his mother.  The pottery is traditional style of Picuris pueblo and Aaron says he is hoping to help revive the art form!  This larger bowl is made from Picuris micaceous clay.  It has the “cloud” terraced rim and the “hobnail” additions to the side. These are often seen on historic Picuris pottery and it’s nice to see their revival.  The clay itself is a beautiful coloration with the classic gold clay color.  It was traditionally fired to create the blushes on the surface.  If Aaron works with the clay with the same creativity in which he carved katsinas, he has a bright future!

This jar by Eric Lewis has a round shoulder water jar shape and a short neck.  The jar has a hummingbird as the central design.  As the jar is turned there are linear bird wing and cloud patterns.  Eric uses his designs to follow the shape of the jar and accentuate its form.  The round shoulder and the placement of the head of the hummignbird on the neck is just perfect!  Eric has taken classic Acoma linear designs and made them both bolder and more graphic. The result is a striking jar with tightly painted imagery.  Eric remains one of the young Pueblo potters to watch!

This  bowl by Effie Garcia has her classic shape with a narrow base and wide shoulder.  Around the sides are six flowers carved deeply into the clay.  Each of the flowers is outlined in clay, giving it a matte appearance.  The bowl is highly polished and signed on the bottom.

Jennifer Tafoya Moquino is known for her clay vessels and exceptional realistic animals. This jar is coil built and fully polished.  It is a wonderful shape which is square on the sides and flat on the top. Technically that is always difficult to achieve with native clay.  Jennifer often looks to designs beyond the Southwest for her imagery. This jar has four leafy sea dragons as the design. They are intricately etched and flow around the surface of the jar.  All the colors are all from natural clay slips.  Jennifer continues to be one of the leading innovative potters working today!

Billy Cain was a son of noted potter Mary Cain.  He created traditional Santa Clara carved and polished pottery, but often with his own flare of shape or design.  This distinctive bowl is one of his smaller pieces from 1989.  It has two bear paws on one section. The neck has a deeply carved band which encircles the bowl.  The entire piece is polished, including the base.  The bowl is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Billy Cain”.

The figurative work of Virgil Ortiz is based on the historic Monos figures from Cochiti Pueblo which began in the 1880’s.  The figures were created as social commentary in a world where various cultures were quickly filtering in and assimilating into New Mexico with the arrival of the railroads. This is one of the taller traditional-style figures we have had from Virgil. Amazingly, the entire piece is coil built so that it is hollow.  The designs are painted on the clay surface using wild spinach (a local plant).  This figure is one of his “opera singers” who Virgil called, “Madame Butterfly”, with her butterfly wings.  He created a series of “opera singers” in the late 1990’s and they remain one of the most sought-after of his earlier works.  Note the incredible detail in the dress with the tiny tendril of designs.  There are extensions of the wings on the side.  The face is dramatic and expressive!  There is something wonderfully powerful about the pieces in terms of design and scale!  The use of traditional and contemporary imagery has become a standard for Virgil’s pottery, continuing to push the boundaries of contemporary Native clay.  This piece is signed on the bottom.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

This is a striking jar by Les Namingha a creative blend of Hopi-Tewa and graffiti style designs.  The jar has a round shape and a short neck.  The jar is painted blue and has two “3D” birds as the design. The birds are painted onto the surface and Les has painted around the edge of them to give them a “3D” appearance and some depth.  The contrasting colorations of the birds against the blue “sky” is striking. On the bottom is a checkerboard “field” over which they are flying.  Note as well the bodies of the birds are made up of various Hopi-Tewa designs.   The jar is signed on the bottom.

This is a creative jar by Les Namingha.  It is a creative blend of Hopi-Tewa birds, Hopi and Zuni designs and mica.  The concept for the jar is a series of Hopi birds painted against a geometric white and blue sky. The birds are various colors and they are made up of various Hopi-Tewa or Zuni designs (the dots).  The larger geometric shapes are each painted with different colors.  They represent the “windows” looking out at the birds.  The background blue and white area of the jar is also slipped with mica into the clay. It creates both a texture (the feel of the mica) ad the bit of shine from the reflection of the mica.  It is a simple but powerful jar.  The jar is signed on the bottom.

This is a striking jar by Nathan Youngblood.  He is well known for his deeply carved pottery and use of both traditional Santa Clara and other designs. This jar has a round body and a short neck.  The top and bottom areas are fully polished red and the lower section is matte.  Nathan says of the design,

“The matte areas are the hills around Santa Clara.  Above them the story begins with the three red carved areas.  These are three cloud designs, like you would see forming off in the distance.  As they grow, those three become two clouds, which are the next two designs.  Finally, as the jar is turned, there is one large cloud with lighting and rain designs. The storm and the all important rain water have arrived.  In one of the lower sections you can see that I etched into the clay two small deer tracks. Those represent me (my name in Tewa meaning Deer Path) watching the storm clouds billow on the horizon.”

The jar is very fully carved and each of the sections of design change, flow and interlock as the jar is turned.  The red clay slip is deep and rich in coloration and the jar was traditionally fired. The last photo is one that I took of the jar in the fire! The polishing is spectacular on this jar with an amazing shine from the stone polished surface!  While the shape, carving, and designing might seem like enough, Nathan also takes his pottery one step further. After it is fired, he uses small screwdrivers and scrapes the sides of the carved designs and the recessed areas, to create a visually striking contrast.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay with his name and deer tracks, which represent his name in Tewa.  Simply stunning!

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.

This tall jar by Virgil Ortiz tells part of his story of the Pueblo Revolt.   The designs are from his Revolt 1680/2180 series. There are two figures representing the Castilians or Conquistadors in the series of his work.  One side has the Conquistador from 1680 and the other, the Castilian from 2180.  Separating them are wildflower tendrils of design.  Note on one side the additional triangular design as part of the imagery.  Both figures are intricately painted using wild spinach plant for the black.  There are turkey tracks which looks like an “x” near the Pueblo tendrils.  The neck of the jar has a simple traditional cloud design. The jar shape itself is elegant with the high shoulder and short neck.  The jar is made from native clay, native clay slips and wild spinach (the black).  The piece is signed on the bottom. The use of traditional and contemporary imagery has become a standard for Virgil’s pottery as he pushes the boundaries of contemporary Native clay.

In the book, “Revolt”, I wrote about these as follows:

In 2007 Ortiz began to identify and give form to the various characters which would populate his story of the Pueblo Revolt.  Tahu; the girl blinded by the Spanish Conquistadors, Mopez; the leader of the Runners, and the Castilians to represent the Spanish invaders.  “I have created Native Superheroes in the form of clay, photography, video and film, which allows me the freedom to express my personal interpretation of the REVOLT – The First American Revolution.  The Venutian Soldiers are futurist, herculean superheroes, over eight feet tall, who fight mainly at nighttime and possess extraordinary strength and magical powers”.  Here the Venutian Soldiers reflect the destruction of pueblos by the Spanish during their original conquest. In their future version, it is the Castilians who have destroyed their ‘world’ and the Venutian Soldiers are the embodiment of this devastation. Their environment has been destroyed through nuclear weapons causing the Venutian Soldiers to use oxygen tanks and gas masks to survive. This story is a thoughtful embodiment of a world overrun and the natural order destroyed yet survivable by the sense of “Pueblo community”.  The Venutians are lead by Tahu and Kootz to find a hospitable land and “rebuild their traditions and ways of life on ancestral sacred lands”.

Jason Wesaw is Potowatomi and from the Great Lakes area.  Each piece is handmade and the simplicity of forms reflects the modernism with the context of his art.  He says of his pottery,

“My work fits somewhere in between this deep connection to the land and the searching for spirit that resides within all things.  This life-force reveals itself to me in bold colors, simple patterns, and straight forward forms.  The vessel is important, in the sense that it acts as a body from which the spirit comes.  But, my forms are decidedly simple and upright.  The deer tail ornamentation of the lidded forms is the physical ‘emergence’ of this spirit.  Each vessel, drawing, or textile is my re-interpretation of an old story, an observation of our connection to the natural world, or a confirmation of the deeply spiritual essence of all things in the physical realm of life.”

For his pottery, he uses glazes, underglazes and the top of the lid is a dyed deer tail.  The shapes are simple but with thoughtfulness in the content of the design.  This jar is entitled, “Spirit (Threads)”.  Jason says of this piece:

“Spirit (Threads): like a singular, simple thread, woven together to form a stronger piece of yarn, and fashioned into a beautiful blanket of warmth to wrap around our communities, so is our spirituality.  It connects us, unbroken, to everything before and after this moment we are living in now.”

Jason has won numerous awards for his pottery and paintings.  He is a creative force in Native art and we are excited to have his work in the gallery.

This tile by Jason Garcia is part of his Corn Maiden series which feature young Pueblo women in traditional dress for the Corn Dance and placing them in a modern context.  This tile has a young Corn Maiden dancer standing in the center of Santa Clara Pueblo.  Behind her are two of the kivas and their ladders, along with the hills behind the pueblo.  Note the two water towers on the hill and the TV antennae. The antennae is a nod to “St. Claire”, the patron saint of Santa Clara Pueblo, but also televisions.  In the top corner there is a traditional raincloud, which for Jason is a connection to the polychrome pottery of artists such as Lela and Van Gutierrez.  On the back of the tile, it is titled, “Corn Maiden #30, along with hashtags #Muse and #KhaPoOwingeh (the Tewa name for Santa Clara Pueblo).   The piece is made from native clay and painted with native clay slips.  It is signed with his Tewa name, Okuu Pin, which means Turtle Mountain.

Jason Wesaw is Potowatomi and from the Great Lakes area.  He says of his pottery,

“My work fits somewhere in between this deep connection to the land and the searching for spirit that resides within all things.  This life-force reveals itself to me in bold colors, simple patterns, and straight forward forms.  The vessel is important, in the sense that it acts as a body from which the spirit comes.  But, my forms are decidedly simple and upright.  The deer tail ornamentation of the lidded forms is the physical ‘emergence’ of this spirit.  Each vessel, drawing, or textile is my re-interpretation of an old story, an observation of our connection to the natural world, or a confirmation of the deeply spiritual essence of all things in the physical realm of life.”

Jason Wesaw is Potowatomi and from the Great Lakes area.  Each piece is handmade and the simplicity of forms reflects the modernism with the context of his art.  He says of his pottery,

“My work fits somewhere in between this deep connection to the land and the searching for spirit that resides within all things.  This life-force reveals itself to me in bold colors, simple patterns, and straight forward forms.  The vessel is important, in the sense that it acts as a body from which the spirit comes.  But, my forms are decidedly simple and upright.  The deer tail ornamentation of the lidded forms is the physical ‘emergence’ of this spirit.  Each vessel, drawing, or textile is my re-interpretation of an old story, an observation of our connection to the natural world, or a confirmation of the deeply spiritual essence of all things in the physical realm of life.”

For his pottery, he uses glazes, underglazes and the top of the lid is a dyed deer tail.  The shapes are simple but with thoughtfulness in the content of the design.  This jar is entitled, “The Four Directions”.  Jason says of this piece:

“Four Directions: we have no tradition of pottery left amongst our people.  This can be said about many things, including the fact that of 50,000+ Potawatomi, we have less than 10 fluent speakers living.  But…our traditional teachings assure us that nothing is really ever lost.  Rather, elders and wisdom keepers set different aspects of our culture down along the path of life, just waiting for the right ones to come and pick them back up.”

Jason has won numerous awards for his pottery and paintings.  He is a creative force in Native art and we are excited to have his work in the gallery.

Jason Wesaw is Potowatomi and from the Great Lakes area.  Each piece is handmade and the simplicity of forms reflects the modernism with the context of his art.  He says of his pottery,

“My work fits somewhere in between this deep connection to the land and the searching for spirit that resides within all things.  This life-force reveals itself to me in bold colors, simple patterns, and straight forward forms.  The vessel is important, in the sense that it acts as a body from which the spirit comes.  But, my forms are decidedly simple and upright.  The deer tail ornamentation of the lidded forms is the physical ‘emergence’ of this spirit.  Each vessel, drawing, or textile is my re-interpretation of an old story, an observation of our connection to the natural world, or a confirmation of the deeply spiritual essence of all things in the physical realm of life.”

For his pottery, he uses glazes, underglazes and the top of the lid is a dyed deer tail.  The shapes are simple but with thoughtfulness in the content of the design.  This jar is entitled, “Leaving Tracks”.  Jason says of this piece:

“Leaving Tracks: we have no tradition of pottery left amongst our people.  This can be said about many things, including the fact that of 50,000+ Potawatomi, we have less than 10 fluent speakers living.  But…our traditional teachings assure us that nothing is really ever lost.  Rather, elders and wisdom keepers set different aspects of our culture down along the path of life, just waiting for the right ones to come and pick them back up.”

Jason has won numerous awards for his pottery and paintings.  He is a creative force in Native art and we are excited to have his work in the gallery.

Jason Wesaw is Potowatomi and from the Great Lakes area.  Each piece is handmade and the simplicity of forms reflects the modernism with the context of his art.  He says of his pottery,

“My work fits somewhere in between this deep connection to the land and the searching for spirit that resides within all things.  This life-force reveals itself to me in bold colors, simple patterns, and straight forward forms.  The vessel is important, in the sense that it acts as a body from which the spirit comes.  But, my forms are decidedly simple and upright.  The deer tail ornamentation of the lidded forms is the physical ‘emergence’ of this spirit.  Each vessel, drawing, or textile is my re-interpretation of an old story, an observation of our connection to the natural world, or a confirmation of the deeply spiritual essence of all things in the physical realm of life.”

For his pottery, he uses glazes, underglazes and the top of the lid is a dyed deer tail.  The shapes are simple but with thoughtfulness in the content of the design.  This jar is entitled, “Healing Path”.  Jason says of this piece:

“Healing Path: a seemingly simple, horizontal line of silver shows the power in finding a way to heal from our wounds, emerging from the darkness, to live in a strong, determined way.  Just as our ancestors would have wanted.”

Jason has won numerous awards for his pottery and paintings.  He is a creative force in Native art and we are excited to have his work in the gallery.

This is a complex lidded jar by Russell Sanchez.  The entire piece is fully polished and it has a wide shoulder and a short neck.  The base of the jar has 12 gourd indentions which are fully polished. The shoulder of the jar is exceptional in etched design with three San Ildefonso birds.  The bodies of the birds are etched into the clay and are inspired by the imagery of early San Ildefonso potters from the 1920’s.  Note the use of checkerboard, hatchwork lines and classic sun patterns to create the bodies and bird feathers!  It’s is almost like a “starter course” in the exploration of the use of this imagery by early artists such as Rosalie & Joe Aguilar, Susana Aguilar, Tonita Roybal and Juan Cruz.  There are two sections which are mica clay with small dots and they are surrounded by hematite hei-shi beads. The use of hematite is a traditional stone in San Ildefonso culture.  The lid is carved with an extended star pattern and on top is a single piece of turquoise.  It is almost the “surprise” of the jar.  The jar has a deep black to gunmetal metallic shine.  This is one of those pieces that is not only visually impressive, but there is a tactile aspect.  Where one might expect the mica to have texture, it is so highly burnished it is perfectly smooth!  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, ‘Russell”.

Click here to read: Russell Sanchez: Contemporizing the Pueblo Pottery Past

This jar by Les Namingha a creative blend of Hopi-Tewa and modernist designs.  The jar has a round shape with a short neck.  It is fully painted with the green and blue stylized Hopi birds for summer.  They are overlayed with the yellow and red birds of Autumn. The yellow birds have Les’s stylistic pointilism which he has often used on his pottery.  The complexity and coloration on this jar are striking. The additions of the small dots, the very thin lines and the very subtle dark blue background all give the bird designs more depth and definition.  This jar is part of his “Urban Polychrome” series, of which Les says:

“The concept of layering is inherent in our mortal journey. As time moves forward, our memories become layered. Some memories remain vibrant, others faint or hazy. Yet others, obscure or even hidden. Likewise, our experiences, words, works, emotions, prayers and songs build up in layers creating our existence. In turn, our societal interactions become exercises in layering. We see this in evidence with street art or graffiti writing where layers of thought and a desire to express a “proof of existence” create tapestries of color and marks. Blending, covering, harmonizing, dissonance, disappearing. This concept of layering is the idea behind Urban Polychrome and other works in the Urban Series.”  Les Namingha

This is an exceptional larger jar by Les Namingha.  Les is a descendant of Nampeyo and learned to make pottery from his aunt Dextra Quotskuyva.  This jar is one of his famous shapes, as it is inspired by a canteen, but reformed with a wider surface for more design.  One side of the jar has a Sikyatki (Hopi pottery from the 1400’s) bird with extended wings. The colors are all reminiscent of Hopi with the black and red and intricate patterns in the body of the piece. The circles are like the reflections of light at sunrise.  As the jar is turned there is the dramatic painted section.  It is a complex compilation of Hopi designs which encompass most of the surface of the jar.  The setting of the white clay and painted surface adds to the dramatic effect.  There is something both modern and very ancient about this jar!  It is signed on the bottom.

Toni Roller is known for her classic shapes and exquisite stone polished pottery.  A daughter of Margaret Tafoya, Toni has developed her own distinctive style and this wide shoulder bowl is one of her original forms.  It is fully polished and has four bear paws incised into the surface.  The bear paws are symbols of a Pueblo story where a bear lead the people to water during a drought.  The bowl was made in 1989 and it is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Rose Simpson is one of the exciting innovative potters working today.  She is a daughter of noted potter Roxanne Swentzell.  This piece brings together two strong aspects of her clay work. The geometric rectangular shapes create a stylized pueblo appearance. The small opening are much like doors and windows.  The shapes are clay and are all one piece and textured.  However, it is the clay work on her figure which is so dynamic.  Rose has found a creative way to create her figurative work, with overlapping slabs of clay.  The figures are realistic in form yet almost otherworldly or dream-like in their appearance. The various small slabs on the figure give an additional sense of movement as if the dancing figure is in motion.  It is excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  Rose continues to expand her style in various museum exhibitions around the US and create new and more dynamic works in clay.  Look for her upcoming exhibition at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe.

Barbara Gonzales is a great-great granddaughter of Maria Martinez.  She is known for her innovative pottery which combines etched designs along with inset stones.  This is one of her “Swish Pots”.  She said that while they are basically a seedpot pot, she has put a small bead inside them.  She says you can “swish” the bead around and make a wish”.  The top of the seedpot is fully polished and etched  with an intricate spiderweb.  The center of the web has a star and an inset piece of turquoise.  The web itself spirals out and has 8 inset pieces of pink coral.  On the side, the bowl is slipped with mica and there is a single female spider with an inset piece of deep red coral.  Barbara says she uses spiders as they are good luck symbols and the coral is a femals spider. The bottom of the piece is signed in the clay, “Than-Moo-Whe”, which is her name in Tewa.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

This engagement basket is by Rose Tafoya.  It has the classic twisted handle and the sides are carved through with a mountain design.  The entire surface is stone polished.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Rose Tafoya”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Glendora Fragua is known for her polished and intricately incised pottery.  This water jar is larger in size for her work and it is polished with a red clay.  The entire surface is fully etched with four large dragonflies, flowers and additional designs.  The various designs are then highlighted with additional clay slips.  On the inside of the neck has also painted a flower pattern!  It is an intricate and complex jar with a striking combination fo designs, both painted and incised.  The jar is signed on the bottom with a corn stalk, Glendora’s hallmark.

This small jar by Samuel Manymules has a short neck and rounded melon ribs.  The ribs are pushed out in the clay and there is a deep groove separating each rib.  The symmetry of each rib adds to the overall appearance of the jar.  The jar is traditionally fired and the coloration is striking!  The variation from black to red to brown give the piece a sense of motion on the surface.  The browner areas are where it was fired to a higher temperature.  After the firing, the jar is then covered with pine pitch in the traditional way expected of Navajo pottery.  It is extraordinary vessels like this which keep Samuel among the top Navajo potters working today.

This shape of bowl is a new variation for Frederica Antonio.  She 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 bowl has a lip which is turned downward. The appearance is visually striking as she also paints the design to flow into the rim of the bowl!  The piece is painted with a series of alternating cloud and wind designs.  The detail and precision of the design, along with the shape, give the bowl a very modern appearance.  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.

This is a small seedpot by Rosemary Lonewolf.  She learned to make pottery from her father, Joseph Lonewolf.  The piece was fully polished red and the designs were etched into the clay.  On the top is a butterfly and the sides have a swirling feather and flower design.  There are green, blue and white additional clay slips added for color.  All the various colors are different clay slips. which are added after the firing.  The seedpot is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Appleblossom”.  While Rosemary no longer makes many traditional style pieces of pottery, her miniatures remain a classic!

This is an unusual open bowl/plate by Grace Medicine Flower is from 1974.  It is fully polished on the front and back.  The center is designed with a basket weave pattern.  There are horizontal rows and then each row is vertically etched to create the “stitching” of the basket.  There are deeper etched areas in the center to create an additional design.  It is historically interesting as in the 1990’s she began making pieces with the “basket weave” pattern on her polychrome pottery.  It is fascinating to see that she was intrigued by this design and style for over 30 years!  The bowl has a medicine flower etched on the side and it is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Grace Medicine Flower”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips,cracks restoration or repair.

This is a traditional bowl by Lorriane Williams.  It is flat and wide in shape.  The bowl size step cloud patterns which are incised into the clay.  They are highlighted with red and black slips.  They create an overall star pattern.  The bowl has been traditionally fired.  After the piece is fired it is covered in pine pitch, which is typical of all traditional Navajo pottery harkening back to when it was utilitarian.  Lorraine has won numerous awards for her pottery and been featured in books such as “A Legacy of Generations”.

Christopher Youngblood creates intricately carved vessels which reflect a perfect balance of matte and polished surfaces with intricately carved designs.   This lidded jar focuses on his carved and rounded melon swirls. There are eight sections, each swirl in an “s” shape extending vertically on the jar.  Around the top and the base are 16 circles.  Note the precision of the carving to make the perfectly round and the scalloped matte edge on the rim and the base!  The jar is highly polished and it is a striking balance of polished and matte surface.  The piece is from 2011 and it was originally sold by us and it has come back to the gallery again.  It is great to see how his creativity and technical strength has been evident for such a long period!  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  Chris is a perfectionist with the matte areas of his pottery, as they perfectly balance the highly polished designs.  Chris says that he focuses on each piece, taking the time to work on the shaped and stone polish the surface to a high shine, often polishing a piece several times to get it right. He has won numerous awards for his pottery, including the 2104 “Best of Pottery” at Santa Fe Indian Market.

Susan Folwell is one of the exciting innovators in Pueblo pottery.  This jar is part of her series entitled, “Peering through Taos Light”.  The design for the jar comes from a painting by E. Hennings entitled, “Blue Lake” (which can be seen in the last image).  This creative jar is square in shape and rag polished.  The design is a series of riders on horseback under the fall leaves.  It almost seems as if they are such a distant memory that they are fading into the jar itself.  In the same manner, the rim of the jar has been wet and texturized to feel like an older piece of pottery.  Susan does this by wetting down the rim of the jar before it is fired.  Again, as if it was used and like the memory of the riders, forgotten.  What is hard to see in the photos is that the blue int he areas below the riders are all spaces in the clay, which Susan created by adding paper to the clay which, when fired, left these small inclusions.   They create an extraordinary texture.  This seems to be simple but is exceptional in form, texture and design.  The jar is signed on the bottom.

“My newest pieces serve as commentaries and reflections on the classic Taos Society of Artists Work. I specifically want to focus on their portrayal of Native Women”.  Susan Folwell
Native Art Magazine, April 2018

This an unusual collaborative piece by Grace Medicine Flower and her father, Camilio Tafoya.  It is from the early 1970’s and it was fired “black-and-red”.  It is a distinctive firing technique where the piece is covered before the manure is put on to turn it black.  The jar was made by Camilio and polished by Grace. She would then etch the designs into the clay before it was fired.  This piece has a lightly etched avanyu on two sides.  Separating them are two red medallions.  One has a Mudhead Clown figure and the other a Rain Dancer.  There is a striking coloration of the red against the black.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Grace Medicne Flower and Camilio Tafoya”.   The jar is in excellent with no chips,cracks, restoration or repair.

This seedpot by Preston Duwyenie is made from white Hopi clay found near Third Mesa at Hopi.  The entire piece is fully polished.  The geometric cloud design is etched into the top of the pice.  Note the additional linear areas around design which help to show off the pattern.  The seedpot is signed on the bottom in the clay with Preston’s hallmark which is a woman carrying a child, which comes from Preston’s Hopi name, which means “carried in beauty”.

This is an intricate miniature seedpot by Wallace Youvella, the husband of Hopi-Tewa potter Iris Nampeyo  It is fully polished red and the design is both carved and etched into the surface. There is a single medallion with a carved butterfly in the cetner.  There is a carved flower above the butterfly  The wings of the butterfly are incised with delicate lines.  Surrounding the butterfly is a rounded circle and then a band of incised Hopi-Tewa designs.  The seedpot was made between 1976-9.  Wallace was one of the first three men at Hopi in the mid-1970’s to begin making pottery (the others were Mark Tahbo and Thomas Polacca).  Interestingly, Thomas and Wallace (who were brothers-in-law) both started with traditional Hopi-Tewa designs but met resistance from the women potters, so began making pieces which were either fully polished and etched, or carved.  This piece is signed on the bottom in the clay.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Rachel Aragon is known for her classic Acoma pottery.  This water jar or “olla” is a classic Acoma shape with a high shoulder and a short neck.  Typical of her work it is lightweight and a great form.  The jar has four Acoma parrots as the design.  They are surrounded by a rainbow band which encircles the jar (it is painted with a red clay slip).  There are additional cloud and rain designs painted on the jar.  The delicate lines are inspired by classic Acoma pottery from the late 1800’s.  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “R. Aragon”.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Cliff Roller is a son of noted potter Toni Roller. Each piece is coil built and stone polished.  This jar has a round body and an elongated square neck. The designs are carved into the negative space of the jar.  Around the neck are a tablita and wind pattern.  Around the sides are rain and kiva bowl patterns.  The jar is deeply carved and highly polished.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Cliff Roller”.  This bowl is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  While these days Cliff makes very little pottery, his work remains a statement to his skill as a potter!

Harrison Begay, Jr. has won numerous awards over the years for his deep carved pottery.  This taller jar is fully designed with ravens.  This is one of the first times we have seen him use ravens as the imagery on his pottery.  One is in flight and the other two are standing.  They are surrounded by lightning and cloud designs.  The jar is highly polished and fired a deep black.  The polished sections stand out more in contrast to the black matte areas.  Note as well the style of carving, which has a beveled appearance to the angle of the cuts into the clay. This is a very distinctive style of carving for his pottery.  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay.

This is a large jar by Preston Duwyenie.  The piece is coil built from micaceous clay.  The shape is a tall, elongated jar with a narrow asymmetric opening.  The jar is slipped in a micaceous clay and then fired black. The mica then gives the piece a very metallic appearance to the surface.  There are 21 inset pieces of silver around the jar.  Each silver piece is cut to look like a pottery shard and the surfaces have the appearance of “shifting sands”, much in a similar style to the pottery where he has carved a shifting sand pattern.  They are cast by Preston against cuttlefish bone, to create the distinctive texture.  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay with Preston’s hallmark, which means “carried in beauty”.  There is certainly something both modern and ancient about this striking piece!   Preston is from Third Mesa at Hopi and taught ceramics for years at Institute of American Indian Art (IAIA) in Santa Fe.  He is married to pottery Debra Duwyenie and now resides in Santa Clara Pueblo.  Preston has won numerous awards for pottery, including “Best of Show” at the Heard Indian Market.

Frederica Antonio is renown for her intricately painted pottery.  This jar has a striking shape with the high shoulder and small neck.  Each piece is coil built and then finely painted. The background design is a cloud pattern, which is painted with a series of fine vertical and horizontal lines which are then filled in to create larger images in the squares.  This jar has “rainbow bands” which extend down from the neck and are painted with red and tan colored clays. Half way down the jar the color is a brown clay which is the earth.  Check out the very tightly painted squares on this jar!  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.

This is a complex wide jar by Robert Tenorio.  The jar is painted with wild spinach (black) and red and copper colored clay slips.  Around the sloping neck of the jar is a feather pattern and two sections each with two hummingbirds.  Each birds are painted in an older style and they have red and copper colored clay slips for the bodies.  Separating them are two bands of feather designs.  Note the alternating red and copper colored clay slips.  Below the shoulder is a cloud pattern and the jar has a “spirit line” or a break in the painted line around the rim.  This goes back to historic Kewa pottery when the artist would use the spirit line to release their spirit or connection from the vessel.  The inside is slipped with a mica clay slip and there is an impressed hand print on the inside!  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Robert Tenorio, Kewa”.

Elizabeth Medina is known for traditional style of Zia pottery.  Each piece is coil built, painted with native clays and native fired.  The designs on this jar harken back to early Zia pottery with the hatchwork, prayer feathers and circles.  There are two larger birds on the sides of the jar.  They are slipped with a tan clay.  Separating them are two smaller birds, also in tan.  Surrounding the smaller birds are cloud, rain and prayer feather designs.  The deeper red areas are both matte and polished.  The jar is complex with the variations of matte and polished surfaces.  The top of the lid is polished red while the turtle is added and slipped tan.  There is a polished and painted bird and flowers on the top.  The jar is signed on the side “Elizabeth Medina, Zia”.

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 jar is a striking shape with the sharp shoulder. The designs painted on the surface swirl down from the neck to the rim.  There are four sections with a classic square shaped corn design, a symbol of prosperity. Separating them are bands of square clouds and two rainbow bands painted with two clay colors. The clay is painted over the surface of the black bee-weed lines.  The result on this jar is a striking piece which emphasizes the shape as it is turned.  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.

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 an elongated shape.  Around the neck are cloud pattern while around the body of the piece are classic Acoma plant patterns.  Separating the plants are cloud swirls painted with thin lines.  Near the base are mountain step designs.  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.

Sharon Lewis has developed her own very distinctive style of design.  Her pieces are beautifully formed, thin-walled and then tightly painted.  This jar is a more classic Acoma form with the high shoulder.  It is fully painted with a swirling feather pattern which extends up from the base to the neck.  The lines are delicate and encompass the entire surface.   The black is from bee-weed. The jar is signed on the bottom, “Sharon Lewis”.

Adam Speckled Rock is the son of noted potters Paul Speckled Rock and Rosemary Lonewolf.  He is a grandson of Joseph Lonewolf and a great-grandson of both Severa Tafoya and Camilio Tafoya.  This tall jar is fully polished below the shoulder and matte above.  The design is a series of bluebirds in the reeds.  The design is etched into the clay and additional clay colors are added to highlight the designs. The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

This wide jar by Les Namingha a creative blend of Hopi-Tewa and modernist designs.  The jar is a wide shape with a short neck.  It is fully painted on top with a complex pattern of Hopi-Tewa style birds.  The birds are painted against a background of triangular clouds. The birds are of various colors and they are each made up of different Hopi designs.  Take a closer look at the top view and the dynamic variations of each layer of readily apparent.  This jar is part of his “Urban Polychrome” series, of which Les says:

“The concept of layering is inherent in our mortal journey. As time moves forward, our memories become layered. Some memories remain vibrant, others faint or hazy. Yet others, obscure or even hidden. Likewise, our experiences, words, works, emotions, prayers and songs build up in layers creating our existence. In turn, our societal interactions become exercises in layering. We see this in evidence with street art or graffiti writing where layers of thought and a desire to express a “proof of existence” create tapestries of color and marks. Blending, covering, harmonizing, dissonance, disappearing. This concept of layering is the idea behind Urban Polychrome and other works in the Urban Series.”  Les Namingha

This painting by Les Namingha is entitled, “Gathering Birds with Approaching Clouds”.   It is acrylic on board. The painting is certainly Les at his very best and most intricate. The design has numerous areas of his pointilism in both larger and smaller areas.  The small dots stand out against the graph-like division of the overall piece.  Why the lines and the placement of the designs, it’s best to let Les explain:

“Gathering Birds with Approaching Clouds” is a playful geometric and line abstraction depicting the flurry of action as birds gather on power lines in an urban setting. The birds are alluded to by triangular and trapezoidal shapes representing tail feathers. Red circular patterns within other geometric shapes create motion symbolizing movement as mentioned in the painting’s title. The grid-like design in the mid portion of the composition represent a “birdseye” view of an urban environment. A larger grid structure encompassing the painting highlights the same idea.  Horizontal lines indicate electricity cables on which birds settle or from which they launch into flight. The “approaching” clouds are depicted as small triangular shapes on the upper right portion of the painting.  The idea to create this painting stemmed from my observations of such activity of birds as I would drive around the city.”

The painting is on board and has a silver leaf wood frame.  It is a creative and striking painting and certainly a reflection of Les’s strength both as a potter and a painter.

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 is one of the largest pieces we have had of her pottery.  It is round near the base and the rim is fluted and sculpted.  The jar is an elegant shape and the firing is striking.  It sets off the black, gold and various hues of the micaceous clay.  The jar is signed on the bottom.  Will be exciting to see how Kimberly’s work continues to evolve in creating more Picuris pottery!

Wanda Aragon (b. 1948) is a daughter of noted potter Frances Torivio. She is also known by her name in Acoma, Dzinats’ituwits’a.  She is known for her traditional style Acoma pottery.  This is one of her figurative bird effigies. The lower section is painted with classic Acoma rain and lightning designs for the wings and feathers.  The head of the bird extends up over the lip of the bowl.  It is painted with a red clay slip and the beak extends outward.  The jar is signed on the bottom.

Polly Rose Folwell is known for use of classic designs on her traditional inspired Santa Clara pottery. This jar has a wide shoulder and an elongated neck.  It is fully polished and fired brown. The rim is carved with a mountain design, which is then replicated in an incised mountain design around the neck.  There is a single bird etched into the clay.  Below the birds are the Folwell family “x’s”, which are often found on their pottery.  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay.

This small plate by Preston Duwyenie is made from white Hopi clay found near Third Mesa at Hopi.  The back of the plate is stone polished and the front is carved to have the appearance of “shifting sand”.  The sand design has an organic and natural flow to each ribbon of sand, giving the appearance of them flowing across the surface.  On this plate, each of the bands is very tightly carved against the next, which creates a very striking appearance.  I photographed the plate with a quarter turn, which shows off how each line of sand has a different shadow as the piece is turned.  The center of the plate has a single inset piece of silver which is cast from cuttlefish bone.  The textured surface of the silver is similar to that of the surface of the plate.  The plate is signed on the back in the clay with Preston’s hallmark which is a woman carrying a child, which comes from Preston’s 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.

This storage jar is one of the classic shapes by Jason Ebelacker. He is a son of Richard Ebelacker and grandson of Virginia Ebelacker.  His father and grandmother were both known for their storage jar shapes, as well as his great-grandmother, Magaret Tafoya.  Jason creates a similar form with the high shoulder and the small neck. The distinctive shape gives the jar a feeling of size and width. The jar has two bear paws impressed into the clay and they are fully polished, as is the entire surface of the jar.  The bear paws are symbolic of a Santa Clara story where a bear led the Pueblo people to water during a drought.  This jar is as much historic as it is modern in appearance.  The jar is traditionally fired black.   Jason is certainly one of the younger potters to watch!

Stunning!  This is an exceptional water jar by Nancy Youngblood. The shape is a classic water jar with a rainbow ridge around the shoulder.  The shape is inspired by the work of her grandmother, Margaret Tafoya, and her great-grandmother, Sara Fina Tafoya. The jar has 16 ribs swirling around the neck and 16 ribs swirling towards the base!  The rim is perfectly carved and polished with the inside of the rim also rounded out!  It is always technically difficult to create a rim of such complexity and not have it break during the polishing!  As well, note the depth of the carving on this piece.  The entire bowl is fully polished which takes an extraordinary amount of time.  Consider that each rib has two “sides”to be polished and the surface area of the piece is about double its size!  Nancy has won numerous awards for her melon bowls and this is undoubtedly a classic of her style, most recently the 2018 “Best of Pottery” at Santa Fe Indian Market.  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay.

Susan “Snowflake” Romero’s pottery is highly polished and intricately etched with detailed imagery.  Many of her skills are ones that she learned from her father, Joseph Lonewolf. This seedpot has two Mimbres inspired parrots on the top of the piece. They are etched so the surface is both matte and polished. On the side is a hummingbird etched in the Pueblo style. It is in perfect condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair and signed on the bottom.

Tammy Garcia is known for her amazing pottery, as well as the creativity of her bronzes. This bronze is taken from a series of clay pieces which she made which were inspired by the paintings of Picasso.  The imagery is a Picasso-esqe woman sitting in a chair.  The piece has multiple layers and textures.  When asked about the name and the imagery, Tammy said:

“I thought about a definition of the word, “seed” which I had read.  It was, ‘A seed is the small, hard part of a plant from which a new plant grows’.  It made me think of women who came to the Southwest when the trains arrived in the 1880’s, or with the Fred Harvey Tours in the 1920’s.  They brought with them their past but became enamored with the Southwest or Native Culture. So on the bronze, the woman is sitting on a chair and the back of the chair is incised with Pueblo designs.  The side has areas which were inlaid hei-shi beads.  These women became the seeds of new interest in the area and culture. They spread this love of the Southwest just like a seed.  I called this, “Seeded Woman I”.  It is the first in this series to pay tribute to those how become aware of Native culture, respect it and spread their love of the art and artists to the world.”.

The piece has striking patinas to differentiate the various textures and depths of carving.  Much like her clay work, the piece is distinctive in style and yet very sharply defined.  This piece is 4/35 and it is signed and numbered on the bottom by Tammy Garcia. Simply a striking piece by one of today’s great potters with a lot of thought behind it!

Tammy Garcia is known for her amazing pottery, as well as the creativity of her bronzes. This bronze is taken from a series of clay pieces which she made which were inspired by the paintings of Picasso.  The imagery is a Picasso-esqe woman sitting in a chair.  The piece has multiple layers and textures.  When asked about the name and the imagery, Tammy said:

“I thought about a definition of the word, “seed” which I had read.  It was, ‘A seed is the small, hard part of a plant from which a new plant grows’.  It made me think of women who came to the Southwest when the trains arrived in the 1880’s, or with the Fred Harvey Tours in the 1920’s.  They brought with them their past but became enamored with the Southwest or Native Culture. So on the bronze, the woman is sitting on a chair and the back of the chair is incised with Pueblo designs.  The chair itself is has a turquoise colored patina to represent the areas. The woman on one side has a hei-shi necklace and the other a turquoise colored necklace.  These are representative of how those who journeyed and continue to visit here have the culture become an integral part of their lives.  They have become seeds who spread their affection for the Southwest and Native art around the world.  I called this, “Seeded Woman II”.  It is the second in this series to pay tribute to those how become aware of Native culture, respect it and spread their love of the art and artists to the world.”.

The piece has striking patinas to differentiate the various textures and depths of carving.  Much like her clay work, the piece is distinctive in style and yet very sharply defined.  This piece is 4/35 and it is signed and numbered on the bottom by Tammy Garcia. Simply a striking piece by one of today’s great potters with a lot of thought behind it!

Russell Sanchez has found inspiration in the signed historic San Ildefonso pottery for both shapes and designs on his pottery.   This unique jar is inspired by a bowl by his great-great-grandmother, Ramona Sanchez Gonzales.  In the last photo, the red bowl by Ramona can be seen, with the avanyu in relief on the side.  As well, Tony Da made a jar with lizard handles in 1967-8, which is now in the Philbrook Museum (#7095).  The black and sienna of the jar and the etched medallions are certainly a reference for Russell’s latest piece.  This jar has sienna medallions on each side. They are etched with traditional San Ildefonso birds.  Each medallion is surrounded by two bands of hei-shi beads.  The handles are in the shape of the avanyu, much as on Ramona’s bowl.  The neck of the jar has a cloud pattern and the remainder of the piece is a micaceous clay slip.  The lid is fired to a near gunmetal appearance and has a sienna top and a single inset piece of turquoise.  The bottom of the jar has a “foot” which is reminiscent of historic San Ildefonso pottery and it is also indented. The hei-shi beads are all made by the Calabaza family from Santo Domingo Pueblo.  The jar seamlessly blends the old with the new and creates a new vision of how potters can derive inspiration from the past while creating their own new vessels.

This large jar by Samuel Manymules has a round shape which is accentuated by the vertical melon ribs.  The jar itself is coil built and slipped with a red clay and then traditionally fired.  The jar has a stone polished neck which comes to a sharp edge. Below the shoulder the melon ribs are pushed out in the clay and extend to the base of the jar.  The symmetry of each rib adds to the overall appearance of the jar.  It was traditionally fired outdoors and that has created the coloration on the surface.  The jar has areas which range from black to red and brown.  The browner areas are where it was fired to a higher temperature.  After the firing the jar is the covered with pine pitch in the traditional way expected of Navajo pottery.  It is extraordinary vessels like this which keep Samuel among the top Navajo potters working today.

This water jar includes some of the most iconic images in the work of Virgil Ortiz.  The design is taken from his Revolt 1680/2180 series. Thre are four figures representing the Pueblo Warriors from the Venutian Soldier series of his work.  It is a powerful story of the connection between man and the environment.  The figures are each intricately painted and inspired by photography work he did in 2012.  The last photos are some of his photography for the Venutian Soldier series.  While the figures are intricately painted, the space between them is left nearly blank. However, there is a turkey track which looks like an “x”, next to each of the figures, signifying their travels.  The neck of the jar has a plant and cloud design. The jar shape itself is elegant with the high shoulder and short neck.  The jar is made from native clay, native clay slips and wild spinach (the black).  The piece is signed on the bottom. The use of traditional and contemporary imagery has become a standard for Virgil’s pottery as he pushes the boundaries of contemporary Native clay.

In the book, “Revolt”, I wrote about these as follows:

In the summer of 2012 Ortiz premiered his “Venutian Soldiers’.   The story of the Pueblo Revolt was becoming more evolved and Ortiz was able to have fun developing more background for his characters and the events before the Revolt 2180. “I have created Native Superheroes in the form of clay, photography, video and film, which allows me the freedom to express my personal interpretation of the REVOLT – The First American Revolution.  The Venutian Soldiers are futurist, herculean superheroes, over eight feet tall, who fight mainly at nighttime and possess extraordinary strength and magical powers”.  Here the Venutian Soldiers reflect the destruction of pueblos by the Spanish during their original conquest. In their future version, it is the Castilians who have destroyed their ‘world’ and the Venutian Soldiers are the embodiment of this devastation. Their environment has been destroyed through nuclear weapons causing the Venutian Soldiers to use oxygen tanks and gas masks to survive. This story is a thoughtful embodiment of a world overrun and the natural order destroyed yet survivable by the sense of “Pueblo community”.  The Venutians are lead by Tahu and Kootz to find a hospitable land and “rebuild their traditions and ways of life on ancestral sacred lands”.

Mary Ester Archuleta is the second youngest daughter of Margaret Tafoya.  She has never made a lot of pottery, and most of it was in the 1970’s and 1980’s. A majority of her pottery was inspired by the incised San Juan style of pottery as she married into San Juan and lived there.  This bowl is a classic round shape with bear paws as the design.  It is perfectly polished and a stunning deep red color.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Mary Archuleta.”  It is in perfect condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

This bowl by Gloria Garcia is fully polished and fired black. The design is a series of five Mimbres style quail and four rabbits.  They are each etched into the clay.  There is an additional red clay slip used to highlight the designs.  The bowl is very highly polished.  Gloria’s combination of polishing and etched designs is always striking.  This piece is signed on the bottom with her Tewa name “GoldenRod”.

This plate was made by Preston Duwyenie and polished and incised by Debra Duwyenie.  The design on the front is fully polished and full of imagery. The design is a flowering plant which extends up from the vase.  Each of the flowers are etched into the clay and the center of each is matte, which is just where the polished slip has been etched away.  For nearly each flower is a hummingbird, each of which are also etched into the clay and with matte bellies.  There are 19 hummingbirds on the plate!  There are also additional butterflies and note near the top is a sunface and extending from the sun are rain and cloud designs.  The back of the plate is fully polished and signed with Debra’s name and Preston’s hallmark.

This seedpot by Gloria Garcia is fully polished and fired black. The design is a mustang with lightning and clouds.  There is an additional red clay slip used in the clouds.  The mustang is rearing back from a lightning strike.  The seedpot is very highly polished.  Gloria’s combination of polishing and etched designs is always striking.  This piece is signed on the bottom with her Tewa name “GoldenRod”.

This is a complex designed jar by Rainy Naha.  She learned to make pottery from her mother, Helen “Featherwoman” Naha.  Rainy continues is a similar style using a white clay slip as the foundation for her work.  This jar is a classic Sikyatki style with a wide sloping shoulder.  The jar is slipped with a white clay and then painted with natural clay slips and bee-weed (black).  The design around the jar is a striking use of the solstice pattern.  Around the neck are the four phases of the moon.  Below are various Hopi-Tewa designs representing sun, cloud, rain, and corn.  Extending downward are two areas which have the classic eternity pattern.  Some of the colors are polished and some are left matte, but there are over six different colors used on this piece!  The painting on the surface is wonderfully intricate and varied.  The jar is signed on the bottom with her name and father hallmark.

This is a very traditionally inspired bowl by Ida Sahmie.  It is “Father Sky” on one side and “Mother Earth” on the other.  They are designs which are often seen in sandpaintings.  Here, Ida has painted them on a stone polished bowl using natural clay slips and bee-weed (a plant) for the black.  Father Sky is in the center with the cosmos painted on the body.  Surrounding the figure is a rainbow design.  Mother Earth is in the center with the four sacred plants and other imagery painted on the polished red surface.  The face is etched and the figure is surrounded by a rainbow pattern.  The designs are all etched and painted onto the clay surface.  The bowl was traditionally fired and it is signed on the bottom, “Ida Sahmie” and it is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  She is a daughter-in-law of Priscilla Nampeyo and Ida 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.   The story of Father Sky and Mother Earth, and the Dine people is as follows:

“The Navajo people, the Diné, passed through three different worlds before emerging into this world, The Fourth World, or Glittering World. The Diné believe there are two classes of beings: the Earth People and the Holy People. The Holy People are believed to have the power to aid or harm the Earth People. Since Earth People of the Diné are an integral part of the universe, they must do everything they can to maintain harmony or balance on Mother Earth.  It is believed that centuries ago the Holy People taught the Diné how to live the right way and to conduct their many acts of everyday life. They were taught to live in harmony with Mother Earth, Father Sky and the many other elements such as man, animals, plants, and insects.”

This is an intricately designed jar by Rainy Naha.  She learned to make pottery from her mother, Helen “Featherwoman” Naha.  Rainy continues is a similar style using a white clay slip as the foundation for her work.  This jar has a butterfly with intricately painted wings on one side.  On the opposite side are two old style dragonflies.  Separating them are two large panels of various geometric designs.  There are over six different colors used on this jar!  The designs include rain, cloud, mountain and other patterns.  There is even the Awatovi swirl! The black is bee-weed while the colors are all natural clay slips.  The jar is traditionally fired which gives the white a very pearlescent appearance.  It is signed on the bottom with a feather and “Rainy”.

This is wide jar by Debbie Clashin is painted with a stylized bird design.  She is a cousin of noted potter Mark Tahbo and a descendant of Grace Chapella.  Debbie has quickly become well known for her large-sized traditional Hopi-Tewa pottery. The jar has a sloping shoulder and there are two sections with swirling birds.  Surrounding the birds are dragonflies and rain patterns.  The jar is painted with bee-weed and natural clay slips.  It was traditionally fired with blushes across the surface of the jar.   It is signed on the bottom with her name and a pipe for his “Tobacco Clan”.

This bowl by Gloria Garcia is fully polished and fired black. The design is a series of eight turtles encircling the piece.  Each one has additional designs etched into their shell.  Gloria’s combination of polishing and etched designs is always striking.  This piece is signed on the bottom with her Tewa name “GoldenRod”.

Sharon Lewis has developed her own very distinctive style of design.  Her pieces are beautifully formed, thin-walled and then tightly painted.  This jar is a more classic Acoma form with the high shoulder.  It is fully painted with two variations of star patterns.  One is fine-line diamond shape and the other a checkerboard pattern.  The lines are delicate and encompass the entire surface.   The black is from bee-weed. The jar is signed on the bottom, “Sharon Lewis”.

Rainy Naha took her inspiration for this wide shoulder jar from a Sikyatki polychrome vessel from 1550-1600. The jar was featured in Edwin Wade’s seminal book, “Canvas of Clay”.  Interestingly, Wade spoke with several Hopi educators to identify the designs on the surface.  The triangular designs are the “Shakako” cloud pyramids.  The more complex panels separating the clouds for Rainy are inspired by various designs used by Nampeyo of Hano and her mother, Helen “Feather Woman” Naha.  They are a variation of the classic eagle tail design.  The designs are layered on top of one on top of the other so as to identify the world of the eagle from sky to earth.  The jar itself is painted with natural clay slips to achieve the various colors.  The black is derived from bee-weed (a plant).  The jar has been traditionally fired which results in a very pearlescent coloration to the white.  It is signed on the bottom with a feather and Rainy’s name.  It is exciting how she has used both ancient designs and more modern motifs of the Hopi-Tewa matriarchs as the foundation for this striking jar!

This is a striking lidded jar by Nancy Youngblood.  The jar is deeply carved with a water serpent around the body of the piece.  Note the delicate swirls and sharp edges carved into the clay to create the body of the avanyu.  Around the neck of the jar are 32 deeply carved feathers.  Each feather and the avanyu are all stone polished to create a stunning shine!  There is a sense of movement in the design as the feathers seems to swirl around the piece. The lid is a loop which is fully polished!  It is reminiscent of some of Nancy’s early work when she would create miniatures with very thin handles!  The lid fits perfectly into the neck of the jar.  The entire piece is traditionally fired to a dark black and it is signed on the bottom in the clay.