Begaye, Nathan – Large Polychrome Open Jar with Rain Designs and White Polished Interior (1990)

WOW!  This is a complex, large jar by Nathan Begaye.  He was a unique innovator among Pueblo and Navajo potters.  His ethnic connection to Hopi and Navajo let his clay art flow between the two distinctive styles and yet find its own unique space.  His work used traditional designs, forms, and techniques, yet somehow appeared very modern.  This wide jar has a round shoulder and just a short neck.  The interior of the jar is fully polished white. The inside of the rim has a rain design.  The outer rim has a lightning design painted with small squares!  The sides are painted with large cloud and prayer feather designs.  Separating these sections are bands of checkerboard.  The jar has SIX different colors of clay used for the design.  All the various clay colors would be applied to the jar and then each section would be stone polished.  I watched him do this style, and it was very time-consuming. The results, however, are beautiful.  The jar was traditionally fired to create the blushes on the surface.  The piece is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.  It is signed on the bottom, “Nathan Begaye”.  It is from 1990.  The last photo is a picture I took of Nathan when he was living in Phoenix.  He moved there for several years, and I would go to his apartment and see what he was working on and hear the stories about his pottery, the clays, and his firings.  There was only one time that he let me take a lot of photos and I just found this one where he was smiling! This photo made me smile as well!

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Begaye, Nathan (1958-2010)

Nathan Begaye was a unique innovator among Pueblo and Navajo potters. His ethnic connection to both Hopi and Navajo let his work flow between the two distinctive styles and yet find their own unique space. His work used traditional designs, forms, and techniques, yet somehow appeared very modern. Nathan was one of the innovators of Native pottery and was featured in numerous books, including "Free Spirit: The New Native American Indian Potter", "Beyond Traditions" and others. His pottery can also be found in the permanent collection of the Heard and other museums.