This is a creative early long jar by Margaret & Luther Gutierrez.  Margaret would make the pottery and her brother Luther would paint the designs using natural clay slips.  They began working together in 1966 when their mother, Lela Gutierrez, passed away. This is an early jar of their work as there are some colors used that they rarely used later.  The jar has a round shape and an elongated neck. The neck of the jar has cloud and rain patterns.  Note inside the clouds are deer and frogs!  Around the body of the jar are large diamond shapes.  Take a closer look and you can see that some are interlocking bird wings, and the other are interlocking bird heads!  There are additional rain clouds along the top of the design.  The piece has at least SIX different colors used to create the designs. They would be painted onto the piece before it was fired.  All the various colors are from natural clay slips and this was a signature style of their work. The jar is signed on the bottom, “Margaret / Luther”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.

Brand

Gutierrez, Luther (1911-1987)

Luther Gutierrez

Luther Gutierrez (1911-1987) was a son of noted potters, Lela and Van Gutierrez. He began painting his mother's pottery in 1956. They worked together until 1966, and then he began painting the pottery of his sister, Margaret. Their pieces are signed, "Margaret/Luther." Over the years they won numerous awards for their distinctive polychrome pottery.

Gutierrez, Margaret (1936-2018)

Margaret Gutierrez

Margaret Gutierrez (1936-2018) and her brother Luther (1911-1987) learned to make pottery from their parents, Lela and Van Gutierrez. Margaret and Luther won numerous awards for their polychrome pottery. They were one of the few families to keep this important polychrome pottery tradition alive at Santa Clara Pueblo. Their pieces are signed on the bottom, "Margaret/Luther". They won numerous awards for their pottery at events such as Santa Fe Indian Market and been featured in various books on Pueblo pottery including the classic 1974 Arizona Highways.