This colorful seedpot by Joseph Lonewolf is from 1994.  The piece is one of his few black-fired pieces.  It is fully polished and fully designed.  There are four Mimbres butterflies etched into the clay.  Each butterfly is different in style and wings.  There are additional wing patterns etched away. Each of the butterflies has additional colors of clay slips used, including white, red, green, and blue.  The use of additional colors makes for a very dramatic appearance!  Near the base, there is a small butterfly along with the yearly symbol for 1994.  All the colors are from natural clay slips he would find.  It is signed on the bottom.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

“It gives me a funny feeling when people tell me I’ve done something brand new and different. I’ve just figured out all over again what potters did centuries ago. But it is NOT new as people like to say it is. Such colors were achieved in pre-history times by my ancestors.  I regard the Mimbres as my ancestors. Though I refine their designs, each design must have meaning for me. In my dreams, I see how to use the design, and how to make the pot happen. Then when I work with the clay, everything flows. Some people wonder why I keep changing styles, colors, and forms. But I can’t just sit there and make pots. Like any artist, I must try different things and different techniques. I must meet the challenge with my hands. The patterns and the methods I see in my mind during my dreams.”  —Joseph Lonewolf, Spoken Through Clay

Deciphered: The Yearly Symbols of Joseph Lonewolf