Artist Media Series
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WOW! This is a spectacular jar by Margaret Tafoya from the 1970s. It is one of our favorite shapes that she made. It is called a “gourd bowl”. The name comes from the small gourd “shards” that are used to smooth the inside of the pottery when it is being made. The pieces of gourd are similar in shape to the indentions on the shoulder of the piece. This jar has TEN evenly spaced gourd intentions. They are also technically difficult as the indentions are areas pushed into the clay. I took a photo of this jar from the top just to show how deep the indentions are on the side! Of course, the entire piece has to be polished at one time, which adds to the difficulty in the piece. This jar is highly polished and has a beautiful shine. The additional highlight of the shape is how the various curves on the surface reflect the light. The jar is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. This jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Margaret Tafoya”. Simply a spectacular jar and piece of history by this important Pueblo potter!
The Story of the Gourd Pot “Remember the story about the gourd. The gourd was asking Mother Clay, why she was just used for shaping the pottery. Why was she not given her own design? So she was allowed to create her own design. That’s why we have this shape, with the flat sides.” Mary Esther Archuleta
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WOW! This is a spectacular jar by Margaret Tafoya from the 1970s. It is one of our favorite shapes that she made. It is called a “gourd bowl”. The name comes from the small gourd “shards” that are used to smooth the inside of the pottery when it is being made. The pieces of gourd are similar in shape to the indentions on the shoulder of the piece. This jar has TEN evenly spaced gourd intentions. They are also technically difficult as the indentions are areas pushed into the clay. I took a photo of this jar from the top just to show how deep the indentions are on the side! Of course, the entire piece has to be polished at one time, which adds to the difficulty in the piece. This jar is highly polished and has a beautiful shine. The additional highlight of the shape is how the various curves on the surface reflect the light. The jar is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. This jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Margaret Tafoya”. Definitely a great piece of history by this important Pueblo potter!
The Story of the Gourd Pot “Remember the story about the gourd. The gourd was asking Mother Clay, why she was just used for shaping the pottery. Why was she not given her own design? So she was allowed to create her own design. That’s why we have this shape, with the flat sides.” Mary Esther Archuleta
Artist Media Series
Living Artists
The book, "Born of Fire," follows her life and art over many decades. It is also the only book to identify her pottery by the decade produced using the variations in her signature. This book is the first complete biography of Margaret Tafoya's life. It is divided into decades, giving the reader a deeper understanding of her life and pottery over nearly 100 years. There are new biographies on Virginia Ebelacker, Richard Ebelacker, Lee Tafoya, Linda Tafoya, Jennie Trammel, Mela Youngblood, Nathan Youngblood, Nancy Youngblood, Toni Roller, Jeff Roller, LuAnn Tafoya, Daryl Whitegeese, Mary Ester Archuleta, and Shirley Tafoya. The photography of the pottery in this book is exceptional. Throughout the book, personal narratives by family members and family photographs create a wonderful sense of her humanity and artistic accomplishments.