Rain Scott is the son of jeweler Raynard Scott (Navajo) and a descendant of Marie Z. Chino of Acoma.  He says that growing up in Arizona, he wanted to learn to make pottery but didn’t have anyone to teach him.  In 2011 he began working with origami, the art of creating objects with folded paper.  From 2013 to 2018 he experimented with the art form and in 2018 made his first vessel, an Acoma jar.  He calls his style, “contemporary indigenous origami”.  Each piece is made from thick paper and creates a corrugated texture.  This piece is entitled, “Clouds and Flowers”.  Rain says that he used black, white, and copper 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of paper to make the design.  Each full sheet is folded to make each section! This new jar has an elegant form with a high shoulder, and a lower “double shoulder”.  It is almost as if he created an edge as if it was clay and made in a puki!  The neck of the jar is designed with a row of flowers.  The flowers are made from brown, white, and black paper.  In the white area of the piece, note the various angles and designs he has created!  Believe it or not, there are thousands of pieces of paper used to make this jar! The piece is signed on the bottom, “Rain Scott”.  It’s exciting to have such innovative work in the gallery.  Most recently, Rain’s indigenous origami has been featured in First American Art magazine and Native Art Magazine. 

“I call my work contemporary origami pottery.  I came up with them as I wanted to learn to make traditional pottery.  I never had a teacher to show me how to get the clay or slips.  I was always creative with paper.  I started out with swans and then one day wanted to see how I could make a vase.  It took a lot of experimentation”.  Rain Scott