Joy Navasie was known for her white slipped pottery and classic use of design elements. She learned to make pottery from her mother, Paqua, who also used the white clay and signed with a frog as a hallmark.  The white kaolin clay is a slip that is applied to the surface of the bowl and then black (bee-weed) and red clay was used for painting.  A jar like this is always exciting to see, as it is such a classic of her pottery.  The shape has a high shoulder and a short neck.  The jar is so perfectly painted with precision, one sees why she became so famous.  There are four panels of design.  Two have swirling birds with open white space.  The other two are nearly fully designed with bird and shard patterns.  It is a very complex and elegant jar.  It was traditionally fired with just slight blushes on the rim.  It is simply Joy at her very best.  The jar is signed on the bottom with her frog hallmark.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.

Brand

Navasie, Joy "Frogwoman" (1919 - 2012)

Frogwoman - Joy Navasie

Joy Navasie was known for her white slipped pottery and classic use of design elements. She learned to make pottery from her mother, Paqua, who also used the white clay and signed with a frog as a hallmark. The white kaolin clay is a slip that is applied to the surface of the bowl, and then black (bee-weed) and red clay slips are used for painting. Joy's pottery is iconic among the Hopi white slipped pottery, and her work can be found in numerous books and museums worldwide, and some spectacular pieces are featured in the 1974 Arizona Highways magazine.