Laura Gachupin is one of the leading potters from Jemez Pueblo.  Her sister is Maxine Toya, her mother was Marie Romero, and her grandmother was Persingula Gachupin. This is one of her famous clay owls.  It is coil built and the face is both polished and painted.  However, it is all the various rows of “feathers” in various sizes which makes these pieces both complicated and special.  Note the very small feathers on top and how they expand outward and get larger on the sides.  Each feather is slipped with red clay as an accent.  The piece is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Laura Gachupin”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.