Lucas, Steve – Large “Broadface Katinsa and Rainbirds” Jar

14"w x 7"h

$ 4,000.00

WOW!  This is a stunning new larger jar by Steve Lucas.  He remains one of the leading Hopi-Tewa potters working today.  Each piece is coil built, stone polished, painted with native clay slips and bee-weed (black), and traditionally fired.  Steve has won “Best of Show” at Santa Fe Indian Market and his work remains some of the most refined and creative.  This jar is thin-walled and fully painted.  Above the shoulder of the jar is a Broad Face Katsina design.  The design has both red and brown polished areas.  They are separated by larger bands of older style katsina face designs. It is said of the Broadface Katsina:

“The Broadface Katsina (Wuyak-kuita) is among the guards who prevent any transgression on the path of the Katsinam. He is an important figure in the winter Bean Dance (Powamuya) procession.”

Below the shoulder are Rain Bird designs.  Again, this is a design that we haven’t had from Steve.  The birds are tightly painted and highlighted with polished areas.  One thing you will notice on this jar is the brown polished areas. That is an addition that Steve has only been doing for the past couple of years.  I think he may be the only Hopi-Tewa potter using this color as a polished surface.  There are small bits of mica in the brown clay areas, as well as in the red.  The bottom of the jar is fully slipped and polished red.  Steve said of the deep red clay slip he uses on his pottery:

“When I first learned to make pottery, the red slip painted in the designs was difficult to work with. It wouldn’t take heat very well and would scorch and turn black. The red was also difficult to polish. My aunt Dextra had a deep red color clay slip and I decided to experiment with it. I took some of our base clay and added the red to it and it polished very well. I then decided to put some mica in there to get that sparkle. That’s where the new red came from, and Dextra liked how it turned out. I introduced them to that. It was nice that for my teacher, Dextra, I was able to share and teach her something.”  Steve Lucas, Spoken Through Clay

This amazing jar has both an ancient and modern appearance to the design. The tight precision painting gives the jar an impressive appearance.  The piece was traditionally fired creating stunning fire clouds on the surface.  The jar has a dynamic coloration from the firing.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “S. Lucas” and a mudhead (koyemsi) and an ear of corn (corn clan).  Spectacular!