Sanchez, Russell – Black & Sienna Bear with Sun Designs & Turquosie

4.25"w x 2.5"h

$ 4,400.00

Russell Sanchez continues to use traditional techniques and materials to create his stunning works in clay.  This bear is highly polished and fired to a deep black coloration. The bear is etched before firing with a sun design inspired by the pottery of Tonita Roybal along the back.  On the sides have a mountain and stylized heartline. The design of the sun on the back has been two-toned so that they are sienna in coloration. Russell also two-toned the inside of the bear’s legs to be sienna. Both are a striking color complement to the black of the bear itself.  There are two large spiderweb turquoise stones in each of the sun medallions. The back of the bear also has four strands of turquoise hei-shi beads and two strands of white shell.  The beads are very thin and smaller than the normal beads he uses in his pottery.  The eyes are also turquoise.  The heartline extends out from the mouth of the bear. The bear is a symbol of strength and the heartline is a traditional image used to symbolize the heart as the center of power in the animal.  The bear is signed on the bottom in the clay.

Russell Sanchez: Contemporizing the Pueblo Pottery Past