Diné – Navajo Pottery

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Each piece of our Navajo Pottery (Diné) is hand coil built, stone polished, and traditionally fired outdoors. The color variations on the surface of the pieces are a result of the firing process showing fire and smoke coloration.  This process adds a specific personality, dimension, and beauty to each work.  For many of the pieces of pottery, the surface is covered with pine pitch, a pine sap derivative, at the end of the firing to give a deep color and sheen.  This pitch pottery treatment was a traditional method for sealing the pottery to hold water or keep the pottery from deterioration. Many traditional Navajo potters continue this process today using a variety of materials in the completion of the bowl.   We see very defined shapes, reflecting the historical style of traditional bowls, but we also see the asymmetry in the aspect of design shape giving a fluid nature to the fire patterns.