This is a very complicated architectural piece from Al Qoyawayma.  The piece is entitled “Kii-Quo,” which means “The Remains of an Old Village” in Hopi.  The oval area is pushed into the clay, and then the building is pushed back out from the bowl.  Beyond the technical, this large bowl has a very intricate series of buildings.  The jar has SIX structures in the back and two kivas in front.  It is unusual and technically more difficult to create a piece with so many buildings for this size.  One of the kivas has a ladder, and the other is open with very detailed stonework.  All the stonework in the clay is individually carved or “inscribed” on the damp clay surface, allowed to partially dry, and then “scraped”. The final slip on the stonework is 6 layers of color. The overall piece has a polished surface of buff-yellow stone with native clays and mica.  Al has also made small wooden vigas that are added to the piece after the firing. The bowl itself is vertically polished in an “onion skin” vertical manner in the style of historical pottery.    The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Al Qoyawayma”.  It is always exciting to see how Al will continue to evolve one of his most iconic vessels.

This is one of my pieces from my “Mesa Verde” series, a “1/2 Arch Mesa Verde”.  The concave oval area is pushed into the Hopi clay vase using the repoussé technique and then the buildings are pushed back out from the inside of the bowl, no clay added except parapets and freestanding walls. This 1/2 arch architecture includes several large towers in the background.  There are two kivas. The kivas are round ceremonial rooms built into the ground. All the stonework is individually carved or “inscribed” on the damp clay surface, allowed to partially dry, and then “scraped”. The final slipping on the stonework is 6 layers of color. The overall piece has a polished surface of buff-yellow stone with native clays and mica.