Youngblood, Mela – Fully Polished Bowl with Walking Bear Paws (1970’s)

This is a traditional bowl by Mela Youngblood.  She was a daughter of Margaret Tafoya and began making pottery in the late 1960s.  She quickly achieved a distinctive style for her work.  This bowl has a classic round shape. The outside is very deeply carved with a walking bear paw design.  It is a design made famous by her mother.  The inside of the bowl is also fully polished, which is very unusual!  The entire piece is highly polished and fired a glassy black.  The bowl is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.  It is signed on the bottom, “Mela Youngblood”.  The traditional design and highly polished surface make it a classic of her pottery. 

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Youngblood, Mela (1931-1990)

Mela Youngblood began making pottery in the late 1960s and quickly achieved a distinctive style for her work. As an artist, Mela took the process of making her pottery very seriously. She decided that each piece she made had to be perfect, a trait which she passed on to her children, Nathan Youngblood and Nancy Youngblood. Mela was a daughter of Margaret Tafoya and the mother of Nathan Youngblood and Nancy Youngblood. Of all of Margaret's daughters, she was the first to create a storage jar that survived the firing process. Mela made pottery for such a short time, so it is always exciting to see her distinctive pieces of influential pottery!