Namingha, Les – “Flash” Urban Polychrome 13″ Storage Jar

13"w x 12"h

$ 13,000.00

WOW! This is a stunning large jar by Les Namingha.  His pottery designs are a creative blend of Hopi-Tewa and modernist designs.  The jar is a stylized storage jar shape with a high shoulder and a short neck.  The jar is fully painted and a lot of “volume” of space for design.  Around the base are geometric shapes with black-and-white triangular designs.  However, it is the area around the shoulder and sides which is visually stunning.  There are Sikyakti or Hopi style birds painted over colorful panels.  Each bird is highly detailed with traditional Hopi-Tewa designs.  Behind the birds are a variety of patterns from checkerboard areas to swirls of color.  Around the neck are lightning-shaped areas in various colors which give the jar its name, “Flash”.   Les said they are both a flash of color, but also like a lightning flash of design.  Les creates designs that are typically thoughtful and with meaning on various levels. This jar is part of his “Urban Polychrome” series, of which Les says:

“The concept of layering is inherent in our mortal journey. As time moves forward, our memories become layered. Some memories remain vibrant, others faint or hazy. Yet others, obscure or even hidden. Likewise, our experiences, words, works, emotions, prayers and songs build up in layers creating our existence. In turn, our societal interactions become exercises in layering. We see this in evidence with street art or graffiti writing where layers of thought and a desire to express a “proof of existence” create tapestries of color and marks. Blending, covering, harmonizing, dissonance, disappearing. This concept of layering is the idea behind Urban Polychrome and other works in the Urban Series.”  Les Namingha