Lonewolf, Joseph – Mimbres Rabbit Seedpot (1976)

2.25"w x 2.25"h

$ 1,500.00

Beginning in the early 1970’s, Joseph Lonewolf revolutionized the world of Santa Clara pottery by incorporating his sgraffito (lightly etching the surface of the clay) and incised (more deeply cut into the clay) designs.  This seedpot is from 1976 and it is fully designed. On the top is a Mimbres inspired rabbit.  The surrounding designs are water, grass and plant imagery.  The piece is highly polished and fired red.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay with the date.   It is in 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. 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, how to make the pot happen. Then when I work the clay, everything flows. Some people wonder why I keep changing styles, colors, forms. But I can’t just sit there and make pots. Like any artist I must try different things, 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”