This is a creative plate by Susan Folwell.  She is one of the exciting innovators in Pueblo pottery.  This plate is part of her series entitled, “Peering through Taos Light”.  The design for the jar comes from a painting by EI Couse entitled, “The Waterfall”. The front is both carved and painted. There Pueblo man is standing at the waterfall with the water trickling down. There are larger carved areas that are like droplets of water and one seems to be a reflection of the canyon at an earlier time.  The canyon wall to the left of the figure is etched with the Folwell family “x”s.  The plate also has the “x” as the stitching in leather.  Note the hand-tooled leather flowers on the plate.  They are part of a collaboration with National Endowment for the Arts artist James Jackson,  who is known for his leather.  The back of the plate has textured clay and a painted basket design in the center.  This reflects the traditional use of baskets as a base when starting pottery.  The “drops of water” see on the front, also leak through the stitching onto the back of the plate.  The plate is signed on the back, “Susan Folwell, The Waterfall”. Many pieces from this continuing series are currently on display in “Susan Folwell: Through the Looking Glass” at the Harwood Museum in Taos, NM.  

“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