This red polished bowl by Joseph Lonewolf is from 1973. It is very early in his career, as he only began making pottery full-time in 1971.  Interestingly, 1973 was one of his most creative years as he was experimenting with color as well as background designs.  This bowl is polished red and designed on various levels.  The rim of the bowl is incised with rounded bands.  There is a single medallion with a deer in the center.  It is surrounded by four Mimbres rabbits.  It is charming how their ears are extending backward!  The elk is depicted with a plant.  Note the background matte area and how the rounded lines perfectly emanate outward from the center.  Creating the circular incised designs in the matte was both time-consuming and difficult to keep them evenly spaced and rounded.  The bowl is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.  It is signed, “Joseph Lonewolf” on the bottom in the clay.

“Art was a hobby, including clay sculpting I learned from my father, the potting I learned from my mother, and the beadwork I learned from my grandparents. I became a full-time potter only this spring. Before that, I had an 8-to-5 job in Colorado Springs as a journeyman mechanic.  “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.”  Joseph Lonewolf, Spoken Through Clay, 1972