Bobby Silas is an exceptional potter creating revival Siktayki pottery using similar clay and firing techniques to those pieces created between 1100 and 1600.  Are you familiar with Sikyatki? In Hopi, Sikyátki, means “Yellow House” and it is known for its distinctive style of pottery.  The vessels were large and painted with a wide variety of designs. It was this pottery which was excavated beginning in 1895 which inspired Nampeyo of Hano to create her own stylized versions.  Bobby has been making his own coil built pieces from clay local to Hopi and painted with natural clay slips and bee-weed/mustard plant for the black.  Interestingly, he has taken the time to seek out the local lignite coal which the Siktayki potters used to fire their potter.  It burn hot and gives the pieces a distinctive coloration and it is also a very high firing, which makes them very hard.  In terms of designs, Bobby says that he seeks out both older pieces and looks at older designs for inspiration.

This large jar is a classic ancient shape with the wide shoulder and turned out rim. Bobby said that he found a shard which had the design seen on the shoulder of this piece.  It was from this design which he expanded and created the design on the jar.  The neck of the jar has a series of circles, which vary with four different colors of clay. These are the clay colors he uses on his pottery and the variations are symbolic to four directions, seasons, etc.  The painting on his pottery is interesting, as if you look closely it has a more “painterly” appearance as he is using the older red clay seen on Hopi-Tewa pottery before the 1930’s.  The jar itself has a yellowish/white coloration from the firing and there are blushes across the surface.  Because of the use of lignite coal, the blushes are different in coloration from the classic manure firings.  If you are like me, I have to stop and adjust by view to understand the variation in firing techniques and how they impact the color of the clay.  The jar is signed on the bottom with a coyote track (Coyote Clan) and his name.  It’s exciting to see an artist delve into the past for inspiration and take the time to seek out the historic methods of firing.  Bobby has recently won awards at the Museum of Northern Arizona for his pottery and we look forward to seeing how his pottery evolves over time!