Tony Da is one of the great innovative names in Pueblo pottery.  He had a very short career which spanned from 1967-82.  At his first art show at Gallup Ceremonials in 1967, he not only won blue ribbons on each piece, but they added new categories for his innovative art in clay.  This plate is one of his famous styles in the black-and-sienna.  Tony would etch the designs into the clay before they were fired so that they would be very precise.  This plate has a Mimbres-inspired deer as the design.  It is one of his “spirit animals” with the deer extending out from the deer tracks.  The plate was fired a dark gunmetal in coloration.  After the firing the rim of the plate was re-heated to burn off the black and reveal the sienna color of the clay. This style became a signature of his pottery.  It was primarily done between 1967-71, with only a few black and sienna pieces after that date.  This plate is from 1970-71.  How do we know? See the painted lines near the rim, these were a later addition to his black-and-sienna plates.  You can also see the “halo” which is more black and separates the sienna from the gunmetal of the center of the plate.  After the firing he inset the piece of turquoise.  From just a clay plate, Tony would use the sienna, painted lines, halo, etched designs and inset stones in a sequence to create visually diverse and striking pieces.  Simple in concept yet complex in completion!  The plate is signed on the back in the clay, “DA”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, repair.  Definitely a classic of his pottery style!

“People often approach me and ask why they don’t see much of my pottery today. The simple truth is that I originally started as a painter, and working with pottery came later, quite by accident. Abstract design such as geometric and parallel lines have always been intriguing and have held a strange fascination for me. Perhaps this also explains why speculation about time, space, and man’s position in the universe has always been a preoccupation of mine. I only can wish my work will remain in the future as a cultural testimony to these times.””  Tony Da, Spoken Through Clay