Erik Fender is the son of Martha Appleleaf and the grandson of noted potter Carmelita Dunlap. Erik combines classic San Ildefonso imagery with his own creative style. His pottery is signed, with his Tewa name, “Than Tsideh”, which means “Sunbird”.  This is a large open bowl that is fully painted on the inside and the outside. The inside has a series of designs around the side, including feather, star, and rain designs.  The outside has an avanyu around the top of the piece and below are feather and cloud designs.  There are four different colors of clay used on the bowl to create the designs. The clay used on the bowl is micaceous, so some of the reflection that you see on the piece is the light reflecting off the mica in the clay.   It is a striking piece both in size and complexity.   It is signed, ‘Than Tsideh”.