Tafoya, Shawn – Jar with Fish (1990)

3"w x 3.5"h

$ 150.00

Shawn Tafoya (b. 1968) is a son of Lucy Year Flower Tafoya, a grandson of Camilio Tafoya and a great-grandson of SaraFina Tafoya.  He is a brother of Forrest Tafoya, Kelli Little Katchina and Myra Little Snow.  This small jar is carved with fish and then incised with additional designs.  It is slipped with mica and traditionally fired (note the color variation from the fire clouds).  Each fish has an inset hei-shi bead for the eye!  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Shawn Tafoya”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Shawn began making art at the age of five. Although Shawn is a traditionalist in terms of material and technique, his pottery and Pueblo embroidery work is strikingly innovative, and he is well known for it. He has won numerous awards for his work and has participated in many shows and exhibitions. Interestingly, Shawn is also one of the most gifted Pueblo textile embroiderers working today and teaches this traditional art throughout the northern villages. His pottery is often a unique balance of traditional and contemporary.