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Youngblood, Christopher – “Zen Pond” Wide Shoulder Jar with Four Koi
9"w x 3"h
$ 5,600.00
Christopher Youngblood creates intricately carved vessels that reflect a perfect balance of matte and polished surfaces with intricately carved designs. This jar has a sharp shoulder and a nearly flat top. The bottom is slipped with mica. The top has four deeply carved koi that are stone polished. In the background, Chris has carved the swirling water into the matte area of the jar. The placement of the fish create a sense of motion and movement. The polishing is striking and creates a contrast between the matte and polished areas. It was traditionally fired to a glassy black. It is signed on the bottom, ‘Chris Youngblood”.
Chris said of his pottery:
“I’ve had generations of people before me who have had to learn the hard way. I’ve had that information given to me without having to go through all the struggles. But, I would say on the flip side, having someone so technically advanced as your teacher (Nancy Youngblood), let alone your mother, it’s hard. The expectations are a lot higher. I’ve learned that now, I never think it’s done. I keep going until I cannot find anything I can refine or add to the piece. To achieve an ever-higher level of precision takes a lifetime. It’s not something you learn; it’s something you live.” Christopher Youngblood, Spoken Through Clay
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Learn More:Youngblood, Christopher (b. 1989)
Description
Christopher Youngblood creates intricately carved vessels that reflect a perfect balance of matte and polished surfaces with intricately carved designs. This jar has a sharp shoulder and a nearly flat top. The bottom is slipped with mica. The top has four deeply carved koi that are stone polished. In the background, Chris has carved the swirling water into the matte area of the jar. The placement of the fish create a sense of motion and movement. The polishing is striking and creates a contrast between the matte and polished areas. It was traditionally fired to a glassy black. It is signed on the bottom, ‘Chris Youngblood”.
Chris said of his pottery:
“I’ve had generations of people before me who have had to learn the hard way. I’ve had that information given to me without having to go through all the struggles. But, I would say on the flip side, having someone so technically advanced as your teacher (Nancy Youngblood), let alone your mother, it’s hard. The expectations are a lot higher. I’ve learned that now, I never think it’s done. I keep going until I cannot find anything I can refine or add to the piece. To achieve an ever-higher level of precision takes a lifetime. It’s not something you learn; it’s something you live.” Christopher Youngblood, Spoken Through Clay
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Youngblood, Christopher (b. 1989)
Chris Youngblood
Chris Youngblood is Margaret Tafoya's great-grandson and Nancy Youngblood's son. His mother, Nancy, taught him to make pottery. He won the "Best of Class - Youth Award" at Santa Fe Indian Market and the prestigious "Best of Pottery" in 2014. In the 2010 Native People's Magazine, he was featured as one of the "Generation Next Emerging Potters" and recently featured in Native Art Magazine in 2016 as one of the "Three Potters Under 30" to watch. In addition, his "Best of Pottery" jar was featured in the book "Spoken Through Clay."
Chris Youngblood says that he focuses on each piece, taking the time to work on the shape and stone polish the surface to a high shine, often polishing it several times to get it right. Chris comes to the clay focused on expanding his illustrious family's technical and artistic boundaries. His manipulation of the clay surface through his technically inspired imagery expands the art in new directions.