I’m very pleased that after nearly 20 years, Yvonne Lucas has returned to make pottery!  These new pieces reflect a variety of her pottery and each piece is coil-built, stone polished with white clay, painted with bee-weed and clay slips and traditionally fired.  This jar is a classic round shape.  The piece is entitled, “Century in Clay”.  It is a fascinating piece on a variety of levels.  Yvonne said this was an important piece for her return to making pottery.  The shape is one of her favorite and it is painted with two “century plants”, each in a different style.  She said the plants were a reflection of the history of Laguna designs.  More importantly, she said she traditionally fired it very hot.  She said she wanted people to know that her work was still outdoor fired and not kiln fired. As a result, the there more blushes on the surface, but also some crackling in the white.  This is something seen in historic Laguna pottery and Yvonne said she wanted the jar to have that same historic connection.  It is a powerful statement by the artist to think about history, culture, content and the importance of the process in making a piece.  As she is one of the few Laguna potters, her focus on very traditional aspects of her work remains important.  The last photo is one of her holding the piece.  I think that it speaks loudly to her connection to the clay. The piece is signed, “Y. Lucas”.  

Yvonne has said of her pottery art:

“Am I a Laguna revivalist? I don’t think of myself as a revivalist. Nobody taught me from Laguna. My only tie is Evelyn Cheromiah. I’ve researched by looking at books and taking pictures of historic pots in museums. I pull different designs from the historic pots or just from my imagination. Sometimes, when I look at my pottery, I think, “I can’t believe I made this.”  Yvonne Lucas, Spoken Through Clay

Brand

Lucas, Yvonne (b. 1959)

Yvonne Lucas

Yvonne Lucas continues to create her own path in reviving historic Laguna Pottery. She is married to Steve Lucas, and learned to make pottery from him and his aunt, Dextra Quotskuyva Nampeyo. Yvonne is one of the only potters from Laguna still firing traditionally, and the color variations are stunning, with almost a pinkish, meringue-like cast to areas of the white. She has won numerous awards for her work and her pieces can be found in museums around the country.  Yvonne uses the traditional hand coil thin shelled pottery learned from Dextra, hand polishes, traditional colors, paint, and design.