Nolan Youvella is a son of noted potters Iris Nampeyo and Wallace Youvella.  He is known for his relief carved pottery.  This wedding vase uses the traditional Hopi red clay.  There is a Hano Mana katsina on one side in matte relief. The remainder of the vase is fully polished.  The piece is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Nolan Youvella”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Cynthia Sequi Komalestewa (1954-2002) was a daughter of Hugh Sequi and a sister of Miltona Naha.  Her aunt-in-law was Helen Naha.  Cynthia made traditional Hopi-Tewa pottery with her own spin on the Naha family style.  She learned a lot of her pottery techniques from Syliva Naha.  Each piece was coil built, stone polished, painted with bee-weed and natural clay slips.  This seedpot has a hummingbird and corn design on the top.  The bottom half is very intricately designed with a star pattern. There are additional white and red clay slips used to accentuate the design.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “C. Sequi Komalestewa”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Loren Ami’s pottery is inspired by traditional Hopi designs and forms.  He learned to make pottery from Dextra Quotskuyva and the canteens were one of the special pieces she taught him to make.  Each piece is coil built, painted with native clays (red) and bee-weed (black) and outdoor fired.  This canteen has a classic shape and it is fully polished. The design is painted on the front and has a cloud, water and plant pattern.  The red areas are stone polished and there is a bit of mica in the red clay.   This piece is signed on the back with his name and a spider design.  It is from 1997 and it is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  Loren is certainly one of the traditionalist Hopi-Tewa potters.

Iris Nampeyo was a daughter of Fannie Nampeyo and well known for her elegant asymmetrical vessels with corn as part of the design in relief.  Iris began using the corn in relief on the surface of her pottery in the early 1980’s. The corn is symbolic of being part of the Corn Clan.  The surface of the jar is stone polished and the corn on the front is in applique relief.  The shape of this jar is striking with the wide shoulder and the short, asymmetric neck.  The husk of the corn is sharp and the matte area extends around to the shoulder of the jar.  The matte areas are in contrast to the remainder of the piece which is polished.  The opening is asymmetrical which is in keeping with the organic style of the form.  There is a simplicity and elegance in her pottery.  Sadly, Iris passed away in September 2018, but her pottery remains a classic.  This piece is signed on the bottom in the clay and it is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

This is an intricately painted lidded jar by Dolores Curran.  Before she began making her carved pieces, she was well known for her delicately painted buff-on-red pottery.  The jar is highly polished red and painted with a buff clay for the design.  Amazingly, she would paint each piece up to five times to get the color of the matte painted areas deep and consistent enough!  This jar has a feather pattern around the top of the shoulder.  There are two smaller sections with cloud patterns. Below the shoulder, the jar is fully painted with tablita, cloud and water serpent designs.  At the very base of the bowl are two prayer feathers.  The lid is a bear with a painted heartline.  Look at how perfect the lines are!  So why doesn’t Dolores make this style anymore? She ran out of the cream-colored clay slip for the painting, and so only uses it as an accent on her new work!  As well, this is a larger sized piece of her painted pottery, as she mostly made miniatures due to the time consuming nature of the painting. The jar is signed on the bottom.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

This is an extraordinary larger jar by Nancy Youngblood. The shape is one which has become iconic for her pottery and especially the melon ribs.  The straight sides show off all the curves for the “s” swirl.  Amazingly, there are SIX times the ribs go back and forth on this jar!  These are the wide ribs but are carved at an angle with a sharp edge which creates a strong surface for the reflection of light.  Nancy said of this style of her work:

“I’ve had problems that if I carve it too thin, it will break. I’ve had that happen so many times. I get to the end and I’m carving the single ribs and it has an air pocket in it. You wet it with slip and then when you touch it, with the first stroke of the stone, the clay falls off. There’s nothing you can do. It’s a loss. See here how the S is carved so deeply that the light plays off it so that it almost glows.”  Nancy Youngblood, Spoken Through Clay

Each of the 16 ribs perfectly reflects the light.  Added to the complexity of the jar is the lid.  The ribs not only extend down the side, but over the top and down onto the base of the lid!  There is a kinetic motion to them on this piece which may simply be the play of the light adding to the highly polished surface.  Thee matte area on the top of the lid is perfectly sanded smooth.  This is important so there are no shadows cast from an uneven surface.  In addition to the depth of carving on this jar, consider that each rib has two “sides”to be polished and the surface area of the piece is about double its size!  The lid and jar are signed on the bottom in the clay.    Nancy has won numerous awards, from “Best of Pottery” to “Best of Show” at Santa Fe Indian Market for her melon bowls.  This is undoubtedly a classic of her clay art!

Adrianne Roy-Keene is known for her intricately painted and carved miniatures. This jar is painted on the sides with four medallions.  Each medallion has a different Acoma image. There is a heartline deer, fish, bird, and butterfly.  Each is very tightly painted and separated by a fine-line hatchwork design.  However, it is the top of the jar which is Adrienne’s hallmark design.  The top is carved with a series of triangular corrugated patterns which get smaller as they approach the neck of the piece.  It is amazing how detailed it is for the size!  The piece is signed on the bottom with her name inside a feather hallmark.

Tammy Garcia is known for her contemporary designs and use of traditional clay. This is one of her few pieces in which she has collaborated with her mother, Linda Cain.  Tammy made the bowl and carved the very intricate avanyu.  The avanyu encircles the bowl and note how thin the carving is on the piece!  The carved areas and the rim were then polished by her mother, Linda.  The rim and base are polished tan while the avanyu is polished red.   It is a unique addition to any collector of Tammy’s work to have one of the rare pieces in which she has collaborated in clay.  Tammy has won numerous awards for her pottery for nearly the past 30 years.  Her creative work in clay, glass, and bronze is found in museums worldwide.  It is exciting to see how her contemporary work continues to move Pueblo pottery forward with its innovations.

Grace Medicine Flower began her career making miniature pottery with incised designs.  This bowl is from 1990 and it is a significant piece as it is part of the period when she began to make larger vessels with smaller incised areas.  She went back to the early work of her father, Camilio Tafoya, and began to carve her pottery. The entire surface is fully polished.  She also began to carve the rim of her vessels, which is technically very difficult, as it can break in the drying or polishing stage.  This bowl has some very deeply carved sections which extend down from the rim.  There are large central medallions on both sides, each with a hummingbird.  One one side there are four additional smaller medallions with hummingbirds and butterflies.  Grace said about her use of hummingbirds:

“We have a lot of hummingbirds by our house. Who knows about a hummingbird on a piece of pottery? They are so tiny and so little. Looking at the hummingbirds and flowers or the squirrels like we have next door. Maybe even that you can put on a piece of pottery. Anything that comes to your mind that you might think would look good on the pottery is fine.”  Grace Medicine Flower, Spoken Through Clay

The bowl is very highly polished and fired a deep red. The inside is slipped with a mica clay slip.  Interestingly, Grace did all of her etching in the clay before the pieces were fired, which added to their overall difficulty.  The bowl is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Grace Medicine Flower”.   It is large, elegant and stunning!

Grace Medicine Flower remains renown for her innovative and creative pottery.  This is one of her dynamic “basket weave” pieces.  She only made the basket-weave pieces for a few years before moving on to the polychrome pottery.   The concept behind these pieces was for them to appear as if the clay had fallen away and there was a woven basket underneath. The basket areas are carved vertically, incised horizontally and then painted with a clay slip.  This piece has two large polished medallions.  Each is incised with butterflies.  Below one there is another matte medallion with a butterfly and a flute player carved in relief.  Below the smaller medallion are two mica slipped medallions with butterflies.  Take a closer look at the jar and note the overall variations of the depth of carving.  There are at least four distinctive levels! Interestingly, Grace does all the carving, polishing, etching and painted slip on the basket designs before the piece is fired.  It is extraordinary how much time is involved in each piece of her pottery.  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Grace Medicine Flower”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Jamie Peynetsa is the son of noted potters Anderson and Avelia Peynetsa.  Avelia, his mother, coil builds the clay vessel.  Jamie paints the design.  He has strong attention to the detail of the painting as well as his inspiration from classic Zuni pottery.  This small duck figure is a charming piece. The painted designs on the body are cloud and water designs.  The eyes are painted with white clay and the dots on the dots on the head are raised.   Note how well Jamie paints to match design and form.  It is signed by Jamie and his mother on the bottom.  At only 20 years old, he certainly has a great future in pottery!

Tina Garcia was well known for her focus on traditional shape and plain ware Santa Clara pottery.  This bowl is from around 2000 and it is a classic piece of her pottery.  The bowl is very round in shape and there are two large bear paws impressed in the sides. The entire piece is fully polished and fired a deep red.  The bear paws are part of a story where a bear led the Pueblo people to water during a drought.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Tina Garcia”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

This is an exceptional miniature by Autumn Borts-Medlock.  She is known for her often fanciful carved pottery and use of unique shapes.  The bowl is carved with an avanyu encircling the bowl.  The body of the avanyu is made of cloud and wave designs.  It is amazing she could carve so deep and with complex lines on a piece so small! It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Autumn Borts”.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

This is a very modernist wedding vase by Linda Cain.  Linda is a daughter of Mary Cain and the mother of Tammy Garcia and Autumn Borts.  This piece has a very wide shoulder and very tiny spouts.  The body of the jar is carved in relief and then fully polished.  The carved designs are cloud patterns which spiral around the peice on both sides!  The result is a subtle appearance with small shadows cast by the rounded designs.  The spouts are very small and connected by a handle.  The jar is fired a deeper red coloration.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay.

Teresita Naranjo was a daughter of Christina Naranjo and know for her deeply carved pottery.  This bowl is one of her few miniatures.  The bowl is very deeply carved with cloud and lightning designs. The designs spiral around the surface of the bowl.  It is traditionally fired black. The bowl is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Teresita Naranjo” and it is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

This is a small owl figure painted by Jamie Peynetsa and made by his mother, Avelia.  The owl is a classically shaped figure for Zuni pottery.  The piece is charming with a round body with extended beak, tail, and wings.  The piece is fully painted with the feathers.  There is a rainbird design on the back of the head.  In Zuni culture, the owl is the protector of the home and the keeper of the night. He is able to see what others cannot see and is thought to be very observant and perceptive. He is thought to have true wisdom and patience.  Jamie has signed the owl on the bottom.

This jar is part of a new series of pieces by Les Namingha.  This, “Pueblo Series” is focused on universal design similarities among various Pueblo pottery. As Les is both Zuni and Hopi-Tewa, he has a lot of cultural imagery to pull from for this body of work.  Les says of this piece:

“I’m using the avanyu as a theme for a small collection of pots. This jar has a Zuni style representation of “Kolowisi” or rather, my interpretation of the water serpent. They are part of my “Pueblo Jar series” that I started recently. This series interprets or incorporates elements from other Pueblos outside of my Zuni and Tewa-Hopi influenced work.  My focus is on finding similarities in design elements across all Pueblo communities.”

The jar is a taller shape with a very slightly turned out rim.  The jar has a stylized kolowisi or feathered water serpent, encircling the piece.  In addition, there is a small dragonfly.  In Zuni culture, the dragonfly is significant as a prayer messengers. There is additional banding of designs and color.  The jar is painted with acrylic, as with all of Les’s pottery.  It is a wonderfully painted and dramatic jar.   It is signed on the bottom.

This jar is part of a new series of pieces by Les Namingha.  This, “Pueblo Series” is focused on universal design similarities among various Pueblo pottery. As Les is both Zuni and Hopi-Tewa, he has a lot of cultural imagery to pull from for this body of work.  Les says of this piece:

“This jar is part of my “Pueblo Jar series” that I started recently. This series interprets or incorporates elements from other Pueblos outside of my Zuni and Tewa-Hopi influenced work.  My focus is on finding similarities in design elements across all Pueblo communities.  Here there are two Zia style birds.  There are similar styles of birds seen at Zuni, Acoma, Laguna and in ancient pottery.”

The jar has a round body and a short neck.  The jar has striking colorations and there are birds painted on each side in medallions.  They are additionally designed with different imagery on for the bodies.  One the sides and encircling the jar are large yellow ellipses.  These bold geometrics accentuate the detailed designs on the remainder of the jar.  It is signed on the bottom.  The last photo is one of this jar next to a piece by Elizabeth Medina. It seemed interesting to show the style of birds from Zia in comparison to this jar.

This is a figurative seedpot by Anderson Peynetsa.  The seedpot has a lizard in relief with its head extending up over the top of the piece. The tail swirls around the piece and the white dots on the back are a white clay and are raised.  There are also painted plant designs by the feet of the lizard.   The seedpot is striking both in shape and design.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay.

Kimberly Riley Honyumptewa is from Laguna Pueblo and married to Aaron Honyumptewa who is Hopi/Picuris. She learned to make pottery from her mother-in-law Caroline Simbolo Cine in the traditional Picuris style and using native clay from the area. Each piece is coil built and traditionally fired.  This jar has square sides and the rim is fluted or “undulates”.  The shape is creative and distinctive.  The piece has a darker coloration from the fire clouds but the mica shows through beautifully!  The jar is signed on the bottom.  Kimberly’s work continues to evolve in creating more dynamic Picuris pottery!

Emil Chino often collaborates with Carmen Lewis.  This jar is a classic Acoma shape with the round shoulder and short neck.  The jar is fully designed with a bird wing pattern on the neck and rain and snow patterns around the remainder of the piece.  It is very fully designed and tightly painted.  It is signed on the bottom, “Emil. C”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Alvina Yepa (b. 1954) learned to make pottery from her mother, Felipita Nonche Yepa.  She began making pottery in the 1980’s and in 1987 won First Place and Best of Division for her pottery at Santa Fe Indian Market.  This melon bowl is deeply carved with 58 ribs.  Each rib is cut into the clay and then stone polished.  The result is a striking appearance to the piece.  The bowl is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Alvina Yepa”.

Tammy Garcia is known for her amazing pottery, as well as the creativity of her bronzes. This bronze is taken from a series of clay pieces which she made which were inspired by the paintings of Picasso.  The imagery is a Picasso-esqe woman sitting in a chair.  The piece has multiple layers and textures.  When asked about the name and the imagery, Tammy said:

“I thought about a definition of the word, “seed” which I had read.  It was, ‘A seed is the small, hard part of a plant from which a new plant grows’.  It made me think of women who came to the Southwest when the trains arrived in the 1880’s, or with the Fred Harvey Tours in the 1920’s.  They brought with them their past but became enamored with the Southwest or Native Culture. So on the bronze, the woman is sitting on a chair and the back of the chair is incised with Pueblo designs.  The chair itself is has a turquoise colored patina to represent the areas. The woman on one side has a hei-shi necklace and the other a turquoise colored necklace.  These are representative of how those who journeyed and continue to visit here have the culture become an integral part of their lives.  They have become seeds who spread their affection for the Southwest and Native art around the world.  I called this, “Seeded Woman II”.  It is the second in this series to pay tribute to those how become aware of Native culture, respect it and spread their love of the art and artists to the world.”.

The piece has striking patinas to differentiate the various textures and depths of carving.  Much like her clay work, the piece is distinctive in style and yet very sharply defined.  This piece is 3/35 and it is signed and numbered on the bottom by Tammy Garcia. Simply a striking piece by one of today’s great potters with a lot of thought behind it!

Kimberly Riley Honyumptewa is from Laguna Pueblo and married to Aaron Honyumptewa who is Hopi/Picuris. She learned to make pottery from her mother-in-law Caroline Simbolo Cine in the traditional Picuris style and using native clay from the area. Each piece is coil built and traditionally fired.  This bowl is thin-walled and the rim is carved with a cloud step pattern.  Looking down from the top it creates a striking appearance.  The bowl has areas of darker coloration from the fire clouds but the mica shows through beautifully!  The jar is signed on the bottom.  Kimberly’s work continues to evolve in creating more dynamic Picuris pottery!

Diane Lewis is known for her tightly painted miniature pottery.  This is one of her very intricately painted seedpots.  The top is painted with intricate Mimbres inspired Flute Players.  Around the edge of the piece are star and mountain designs. All the colors are from natural clay slips.  It is an exciting modern interpretation of classic Acoma imagery.  It is signed on the bottom, “D. Lewis”.

Diane Lewis is known for her tightly painted miniature pottery.  This is one of her very intricately painted seedpots.  The top is painted with intricate Mimbres inspired women, fish and a woman playing the flute with a baby.  Separating the various images are geometric Acoma designs.  There is a cut-out in the clay on the top in the shape of a kiva step design.  All the colors are from natural clay slips.  It is an exciting modern interpretation of classic Acoma imagery.  It is signed on the bottom, “D. Lewis”.

Madeline Naranjo creates beautifully carved and polished pottery.  Each piece is coil built, stone polished and traditionally fired.  This jar has a more classic shape with the high round shoulder. It is fully carved with two stylized buffalo.  Each buffalo is carved with additional lightning designs.  As the bowl is turned there area hills carved in the background. The top and bottom are fully polished.  The central area is deeply carved and matte.  The contrast of the matte and polished surfaces works perfectly. Madeline’s matte areas are sanded and perfectly smooth so that there are no indentations or areas where the matte might make a shadow.  Her designs are always innovative and beautifully executed.  The jar is signed on the bottom.

This is a wide bowl by Steve Lucas.  The top and bottom are fully polished red. The center section is painted with stylized katsina masks and star patterns.  Steve said of this style of his pottery:

“I try to mix the abstract and the classic design elements on the top to show how the two could be connected. I was always interested looking at stars and finding inspiration there. Where I fire there are no street lights. I can sit at night and see everything and watch a lot of stars.  In my pottery the katsina masks are not an exact representation of them but simply have elements of them in there. I would go and watch the dances, and I liked the way the katsinas looked so I began to put them on the pottery.”  Steve Lucas, Spoken Through Clay

On this jar, it is possible to see a variety of different katsinas from a Chakwaina to Kokopelli to Ogres.  The designs are painted with bee-weed (black) and a red clay slip. The red clay is stone polished for shine and there is just a bit of mica in the clay.  The bottom of the jar is fully polished red.  The jar is traditionally fired which creates the blushes on the surface.  It is signed on the bottom with his name and an ear of corn (Corn Clan) and a Mudhead Katsina.

This is very intricately designed bowl by Jacob Koopee.  It is entitled, “All Roads Lead to Home”.   The bowl is made from the red Hopi clay, and not something that he used very often.  The designs are very tightly painted shard patterns.  There is a similar (but larger) piece at the Museum of Northern Arizona with shard designs.  The setup and placement of each of the squares allowed him to use different imagery for each square within a section.  The sections are divided up by vertical bands of polished red and a horizontal band of polished mauve.  Check out the very thin lines around the rim of the bowl!  Of course, these very intricately painted lines were inspired by the work of Rondina Huma.  However, Jake gave the bowl his own touch with the hands at the bottom.  The hand designs were cut from paper and then he would blow the black bee-weed through a straw to get the little dots!  The bowl was traditionally fired so there are blushes on the surface.  It is signed on the bottom with his hallmark Flute Player and Koopee.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.   Jake won numerous awards during his career including “Best of Show” in 2005 at both Santa Fe Indian Market and the Heard Museum Market.  I was lucky to have been a pottery judge both years at both events, and it was exciting to see an artist create such dynamic work.

Dextra Quostkuyva Nampeyo is certainly one of the most influential Hopi-Tewa potters of the last 50 years. Not only has she taught numerous potters (Steve Lucas, Yvonne Lucas, Les Namingha, Loren Ami, Hisi Nampeyo, to name just a few), but her creative designs and forms changed have dramatically influenced the pottery itself.  This jar is from around 2000 and it has a wide shoulder and a slight neck. The jar is fully polished in a vertical manner to create an “onion skin” appearance.  This is style of polishing often seen in historic pottery.  The jar is then painted with simple textile or shawl designs.  The black band has polished white areas with arrow designs.  The red section is fully polished.  Note how the shapes of the sections are smaller at the base, wide at the shoulder and then smaller at the neck.  It’s always nice to see a piece of her pottery with such strong polished areas.  The jar was traditionally fired which resulted in the striking blushes on the surfaces.  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Dextra” along with a corn plant to represent the Corn Clan.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Mark Tahbo was renown for his creative pottery shapes, designs, and firings.  He learned to make pottery from his great-grandmother, Grace Chapella.  Each piece reflects the symmetry and thin walls of an excellent potter. The designs are painted using native clay slips and bee-weed (a plant) for the black.  This jar has a refined form with a wide shoulder and slight neck.  Mark hated to make lids for his pottery and made very few.  This is one of the best constructed lids I have seen of his with the clay used to keep it secure on the neck.  While the shape and lid are visually interesting, it’s the design which is the center of this vessel.  The imagery is a series of Hopi-Tewa women and Parrot men.  The women are holding gourds for water while the Parrot men are holding corn pollen.  The idea of the Parrot men was partially inspired by the figures in the Awatovi murals.  However, Mark would often innovate his own creative designs for his pottery.  He said of this:

“For traditional Hopi-Tewa pottery, there are no shortcuts. I feel that the younger people, they aren’t as fortunate as I was. I was born at a time where I was with the elder women who revived Hopi-Tewa pottery and brought it to this level. I learned the old style. From how to get the clay, how to process it, from start to finish. Today, it seems like the storytelling is almost gone. I always tell younger potters that it’s one of the most important foundations we can have as Hopi-Tewa potters. A story. Something to lean back on. If you don’t have that root or that foundation, you have nothing. You are just floating on your own. Soak it all in and listen to all the old stories that you can. There are just no shortcuts. You have to learn the hard way and have patience.” Mark Tahbo, Spoken Through Clay

The eight figures encircle the jar.  They are painted with additional clay slips to give them color and note the little area when he etched designs on the gourds or the hair!  On the bottom of the jar are swirls parrots or birds.  It is almost as if they are the shadow of the figures dancing above.  The jar was traditionally fired which created the blushes on the surface.  It is signed on the bottom, “Mark Tahbo”.  There is a pipe to represent the Tobacco Clan.  It is in excellent good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Mark Tahbo was renown for his creative pottery shapes, designs, and firings.  He learned to make pottery from his great-grandmother, Grace Chapella.  Each piece reflects the symmetry and thin walls of an excellent potter. The designs are painted using native clay slips and bee-weed (a plant) for the black.  This bowl is wide with a flat top.  Mark would work hard to create this form inspired by the ancient Sikyatki pottery.  I remember when Mark originally made this piece and he said that it wasn’t the classic eagle tail design.  It’s hummingbirds!  The tail feathers are extending down and on the sides with the points are the hummingbirds.  Mark would often innovate his own creative designs for his pottery.  He said of this:

“There is so much in this pottery career that you have to go through. So many different stages. You are constantly learning. I finally came to this point in my life that when I choose a design it has to have a meaning or a story to connect all together. Today on some of my pieces I might even make the story up myself in order to create a new tale of my own.” Mark Tahbo, Spoken Through Clay

The placement of the imagery on this bowl looks classic, but it actually gives the piece a very modern appearance.  The bowl was traditionally fired which created the blushes on the surface.  It is signed on the bottom, “Mark Tahbo”.  There is a pipe to represent the Tobacco Clan.  It is in excellent good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Iris Nampeyo was famous for her pottery with the corn in relief.  This jar is unusual as it is slipped with a “mauve” colored clay.  It is an interesting story about the color, as Iris found this mauve colored clay in the early 1990’s and began to use it as a slip to polish her pottery.  What’s interesting is that other potters (Mark Tahbo and Jake Koopee) also found some of the mauve colored clay, but they were never able to polish it and have it retain its coloration.  To this day, Iris is the only Hopi-Tewa potter to have found a polish-able form of the mauve clay.  However, Al Qoyawayma, who is Hopi, also has a mauve colored clay which he uses on his work which can be stone polished as well.  For Iris, the result, as in this jar, is an unusual and striking coloration.  While it has a more purple hue, she always called it “mauve”.  Iris began using the corn in relief on the surface of her pottery in the early 1980’s. The corn is symbolic of being part of the Corn Clan.  The surface of the bowl is stone polished and the corn on the front is in applique relief.  The husk of the corn is sharp and the matte area extends around to the base of the jar.  The matte areas are in contrast to the remainder of the piece which is polished.  The opening is asymmetrical which is in keeping with the organic style of the form.  There is a simplicity and elegance in her pottery.  Iris recently passed away but her vessels remain classic.  This piece is signed on the bottom in the clay and it is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Al Qoyawayma is known for innovative pottery.  This jar is a shape which he calls his “wish pot”.  It is a distinctive form and one that was inspired by his aunt Elizabeth White.  She made similar shapes and they would be designed with corn or other motifs.  The designs on Al’s pottery area ll in repousse, which is to say that they are pushed out from the inside, not applied to the surface!  This jar is from 1996 and is part of series he made inspired by Maori designs from New Zealand.  In  1991 he was a Fulbright Fellow with the Maori and South Pacific Arts/Te Waka Toi.  This jar has a Hano Mana katsina on the left and a Maori tribal symbol on the right.  What is amazing when you look at the jar from the side, the sharpness of the edge on the tribal design.  While the figurative work is matte, the remainder of the jar is stone polished to create a shine.  The jar is signed on the bottom.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Rondina Huma has certainly been one of the most influential Hopi potters working today.  Since her two-time “Best of Show” award at Santa Fe Indian Market, her tight style and intricately painted pottery has changed the face of contemporary Hopi pottery.   Each piece is coil built, fully stone polished and painted with native clays and bee-weed (black), and native fired.  This bowl is fully designed and painted.  Rondina said of this style of her pottery:

“This style is when I first started designing from the bottom to the top. I would get a bunch of sherds and I would put them together and see what pattern they created. Then I would take back the sherds to where I found them. I also polish the inside of all my pottery. People ask how I do it and how I can get so deep inside. I just think it makes a bowl look nicer if it is fully polished. The burgundy-colored [areas] are the water migration. It’s like a spring with the water coming up out of the earth and soaking back into the ground. It’s a full cycle, so the square has to be complete. I do most of the painting freehand. When I look at a pot, I already know what design I’m going to put on there. I can visualize what I’m going to paint, and it is never the same. I don’t really use a pencil—I’m afraid it won’t come off. I try to just measure with my hand to space out the designs.”  Rondina Huma, Spoken Through Clay

The bowl is very tightly painted with a variety of designs in each of the small squares.  They are all derived from historic Hopi-Tewa and Sikyatki pottery.  The rim of the bowl is complex with a variety of design and no patter repeated!   The tight patterns have become more and more intricate and detailed in each passing year.  Amazingly, the inside of the bowl is also fully polished!   It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay.

This is an extraordinary and unique jar by Otellie Pasiyava Loloma (1921-1993).  So, who is Otellie? She was from Second Mesa at Hopi.  She married Charles Loloma in 1942 and began studying ceramics in 1947.  In 1959 Otellie Loloma became one of the first instructors for the Southwestern Indian Art Project at the University of Arizona at Tucson. That project led in 1962 to the establishment of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, where Loloma was again one of the first faculty members hired. She instructed students in ceramics.  Otellie told fellow artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, “No one Hopi would probably recognize that they are Hopi figures because I have done it all from my own imagination.”  At IAIA she taught numerous present-day potters, including Preston Duwyenie, Jacquie Stevens, Dan Namingha, Robert Tenorio and Christine McHorse!  She is certainly an artist who had an extraordinary impact on the world of contemporary Native pottery!

This large jar is incised with women’s faces around the side.  Each one seems to meld into the next in a Picasso-esque style.  The rim has stone fetishes tied to it.  The jar was made in 1965 and has two ribbons, including an “Honorable Mention’ from the 1965 Scottsdale National and “Special Award” from the 1965 Gallup Intertribal Ceremonials.  Considering how most of the pottery created in the 1960’s was very traditional, this jar would defintley have stood out!  Consider as well, that it was NOT until 1968 that Tony Da created his first sgraffito pottery and entered it at Gallup Ceremonials.  The jar is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Otellie Loloma”.

Charles Loloma is a name synonymous with innovative Hopi jewelry. He began his jewelry career with a brief period of time also making pottery in the 1950’s.  The pieces were made form earthenware and were painted and glazed.  By the 1960’s his jewelry was already achieving some fame and he discontinued making pottery.  His clay pieces are relatively rare but fascinating in terms of form, design and glaze. In many ways they mirror the innovative style of his jewelry relative to the other work being created at Hopi at the same time.  This bowl is glazed on the outside with a series of hummingbirds.  The rim and the inside are fully glazed to a shiny brown coloration.  This is certainly a striking piece of his pottery! It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed on the bottom into the clay, “Loloma”.

Tina Diaz is a daughter of Mary Cain and a sister of noted potters Joy, Linda and Billy Cain.  She makes very few pieces of pottery each year and this is one of the intricately carved black pieces.  The jar is very thin walled and fully carved.  The design is a series of two old style dragonflies.  They are separated by a cloud design and a line representing rain carved into the neck.  The neck is slipped with mica.  The carved areas of the jar are either stone polished or matte with a mica slip.  Note how her designs are very fluid from top to bottom.  As well, the background area which is matte is “rounded”, which adds another dimension to her pottery!  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay.

Tina Garcia was well known for her focus on traditional shape and plainware Santa Clara pottery. This is one of the few melon bowls which we have seen of her work.  The bowl is deeply carved with “melon” ridges extending from the neck to the base.  The entire piece is fully polished and fired a deep black.   Tina was always focused on form and polish and this created some exceptional vessels.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Tina Garcia”.

Tina Garcia was well known for her focus on traditional shape and plainware Santa Clara pottery. This water jar is one of her classic pieces.  It is an elegant shape with a double shoulder or “rainbow ridge”.  The entire piece is fully polished to a high shine and fired a deep black.   Tina was always focused on form and polish and this created some exceptional vessels.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Effie Garcia is known for her deeply carved pottery.  Each piece is coil built, carved, stone polished and traditionally fired. This bowl has a deeply carved avanyu (water serpent) as the design.  It is a varied design with water swirls as the design when the bowl is turned.  Note the depth of the carving and how she has outlined the design with the clay for emphasis.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Effie Garcia”.

Susie Crank is a daughter of Rose Williams and a sister of Alice Cling.  Each piece is coil built, stone polished and amazingly, she says he may burnish a piece over and over as many as 15 times to get a high shine!  This water jar has a round body, a slight indention before the neck and a graceful slope to the rim.  It is an elegant shape which Susie has highly polished and even the inside of the neck is polished almost  as far as you can reach inside!  The jar is then traditionally fired to create the fire-clouds on the surface.  The colorations on this jar range from black to a deep red.  The jar was covered in pine-pitch after the firing, a continuation of the traditional Navajo pottery when pitch was used to make the pottery waterproof.  Today, the pine pitch seals the vessel and gives it the shine.  This jar has a stunning shine and a great feel to the surface!  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Susie Crank”.

Carolyn Concho is well known for her beautifully painted pottery using Mimbres animals, reptiles and insects.  This small bowl is painted on the top with 2 ladybugs, a fish, butterfly and a flute player.  Separating them are sections of a star design.   All the additional colors are from natural clay slips.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “C. Concho”.

Myron Sarracino is one of the few Laguna potters working today.  He learned to make pottery from Gladys Paquin and creates pieces which are thin-walled and tightly painted. This jar has a high shoulder and a more classic “olla” shape. The design has a “T” shaped could pattern painted with a red clay slip.  It is above the terraced mesa design.  Below the mesa design is a spiraling water pattern.  It has a series of fine-lines painted into the clay.  Near the base are plant designs, which are often seen on classic Laguna pottery.  The jar is a nice balance of form and design.  Note on the rim that there is a  painted “spirit line”, which is where the “spirit” of the painter is able to leave the piece and it is also a tribute to the potters who came before.  It is seen on much older Acoma and Laguna pottery.  The jar is signed on the bottom.

Laura Gachupin is one of the leading potters from Jemez Pueblo.  This small bowl is both painted and polished. The bottom is stone polished red and the rim is polished tan.  The central band of the bowl is painted with a corn plant, which is very intricately painted.  Note the white clay for the corn pollen.  As the bowl is turned there is a cloud and rain design along with the sun.  For a small piece, it is very tightly painted.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay.

Alvina Yepa (b. 1954) learned to make pottery from her mother, Felipita Nonche Yepa.  She began making pottery in the 1980’s and in 1987 won First Place and Best of Division for her pottery at Santa Fe Indian Market.  This bowl is coil built and stone polished.  It is fully incised with design.  On the top is a feather pattern while the side has a two avanyu (water serpents) encircling the bowl.  Below the avanyu are cloud and rain designs. The bowl is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Alvina Yepa”.

Geraldine Sandia is known for her intricately painted Jemez pottery. This bowl is fully polished red.  It is painted with a tan clay on the top to create the feather design.  On the sides it is painted with a black slip for the rain and cloud patterns.  The use of the two different colors of clay on the highly polished surface is striking.  Nearly the entire surface of the bowl is painted!  The bowl is signed on the bottom in the clay.

Dominguita Sisneros Naranjo is a daughter of noted Ohkay Owingeh potter Tomasita Montoya and a sister of Rosita de Herrera. This large jar is a classic style for San Juan Pottery.  It is polished at the top and bottom. The inside is slipped with a micaceous clay.  The central band is incised with cloud patterns.  There are single vertical lines representing the rain which are slipped with a bluish color of clay.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Dominguita Naranjo”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

James Garcia Nampeyo is a son of Leah Garcia Nampeyo, a grandson of Fannie Nampeyo and a great-grandson of Nampeyo of Hano.  This is a wide and very flat shoulder jar by James.  This wide, flat shape is one which is inspired by the historic Siyatki pottery from the area.  This bowl is fully stone polished and painted with the classic eagle tail design.  The neck of the bowl is polished a deep red.  The eagle tails extend down over the side of the bowl.  They are painted with a deep red clay slip along with bee-weed (black).  The bowl is traditionally fired to give it the coloration with some slight blushes.  It is signed on the bottom, “James G. Nampeyo”.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Tonita Nampeyo is a daughter of Fannie Nampeyo and a granddaughter of Nampeyo of Hano.  She is known for her traditional pottery using natural clay slips and bee-weed for the black.  This bowl wide with sloping sides.  The top is painted with a red clay slip.  The sides are painted with an eagle tail design which extends towards the base.  The central square section of the design is highlighted with a red clay slip.  This is a design which was revived by Nampeyo of Hano from the Sikyatki pottery of the 1600’s.  The piece is traditionally fired for the striking color in the blushes.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed on the bottom, “Tonita Nampeyo”. The corn plant signifies that she is part of the Corn Clan.

Tonita Nampeyo is a daughter of Fannie Nampeyo and a granddaughter of Nampeyo of Hano.  She is known for her traditional pottery using natural clay slips and bee-weed for the black.  This jar is an elegant shape with a round shoulder and a slight neck.    The design on the jar called the “Migration pattern” and it is one that was revived by Nampeyo of Hano in the late 1800’s from ancient Sikyatki pottery.  The design is meant to tell the story of the migration of people from the third to the fourth world in Hopi legends as well as the migration of people around the world.  This jar is delicately painted and note the exceptional thin lines!  It is traditionally fired for the amazing color.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed on the bottom.

Frederica Antonio is renown for her intricately painted pottery. Each piece is coil built and then finely painted. Her designs are a series of fine vertical and horizontal lines which are then filled in to create larger images in the squares.  This water jar is a classic shape for Acoma pottery, with a high shoulder and short neck. There four large sections of designs extending down the sides of the jar.  They represent the four seasons of Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall.  Frederica has also painted linear bands using different colors of clay slips.  There is a larger cloud pattern which separates each “season”.  Around the top of the jar is a star pattern which can be seen when looking down from the top.  From the sides, it is also made up of numerous stars as well!  Exceptional in planning and design!   Interestingly, the entire jar is first painted black on white.  Frederica then paints all the different clay colors and then had to go back over all the black lines again one more time!  The level of complexity and time involved in the painting of this piece is extraordinary!  The result, however, is stunning with a dynamic appearance and movement to the designs.  The base of the jar is concave, reminiscent of historic Acoma jars which were carried on the head.  This combination of thin walls, classic shape, and tightly painted design create a piece which is visually stunning!  The jar is signed on the bottom.

Grace Medicine Flower began her career making miniature pottery with incised designs.   This jar is from 2002-5 and  is one of her amazing polychrome pieces. The jar is carved through to create the various visual areas for design. Around the shoulder are carved through sections with carved fish as part of the design.  Below are sections which are carved into the clay and then slipped with micaceous clay or polished.  They are then etched with additional designs.  Grace has incorporated all the various techniques to make this jar, including carving, incising and etching.  She has also used polished, painted and micaceous surfaces for the designs.  All the various colors are from natural clay slips.  The technical difficulty in carving through the clay for the open areas is surprisingly difficult and amazing that it didn’t crack in drying or firing. Note as well that it is painted on the inside with additional fish! The jar is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  While Grace is no longer making pottery, this is certainly a reflection of the creativity and originality of her work!

This is an original clay piece by Roxanne Swentzell.  She is well known for her clay masks and their unique expressiveness.  This mask has such a gentle appearance with the eyes, lips and round circles on the cheeks.  The style of the circles certainly reminds one of some of the women in the Pueblo Butterfly dances.  This piece is in perfect condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed in the clay, “ROX”.  The mask is meant to be hung.  A stand can be made for an additional charge.

This is an original clay piece by Roxanne Swentzell.  She is well known for her clay masks and their unique expressiveness.  This face on this mask is very expressive.  Roxanne painted it with colored circles and lines.  This piece is in perfect condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed in the clay, “ROX”.

This is a larger bowl by Art Cody Haungooah who was known for his miniatures.  The entire bowl is fully polished and fired red.  It is etched with a very stylized water serpent (avanyu) encircling the piece.  Around the rim are clouds while the body of the avanyu is etched with scales.  The tongue is like a bolt of lightning and crosses the tail. It is an interestingly designed piece.  Event he background matte area is textured!  The bowl is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Haungooah”.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair with some wear near the base.

Art Cody Haungooh: A “Reflected Light” in Pueblo Pottery

This is a complex smaller bowl by Art Cody Haungooah. The bowl is fully polished and fired black.  It is entitled, “The Ancient Ones”.  There is a single medallion which is etched humanized grasshopper along with a stylized grassopper figure.  This is one of those pieces where I wish I knew the story of “The Ancient Ones” as Art was masterful as a story teller.  The bowl has some deeper carving (the circular lines) along with Art’s classic straffito.  The piece is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Haungooah  “The Ancient Ones”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Art Cody Haungooh: A “Reflected Light” in Pueblo Pottery

This is one of the few pieces signed by both Art Cody Haungooah and his wife, Martha.  Martha made the small jar and polished the surface.  Art Cody etched the design.  The central medallion is a howling coyote.  In front of the coyote is a quarter moon.  On the opposite side of the moon is a stylized bird.  There is just a slight lip to the jar.  The piece is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Art & Martha Haungooah  1976”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Art Cody Haungooh: A “Reflected Light” in Pueblo Pottery

Paul Gutierrez was a grandson of noted potters Lela and Van Gutierrez. He was the son of Luther Gutierrez. He married Dorothy Gutierrez in 1965. Paul began making pottery at age 12. He and Dorothy worked together creating black and red fired animals and storytellers.  Paul passed away in 2017, but their animals and figures are classics of Santa Clara pottery.  This is one of their few clay vessels.  It is a jar with carved lightning designs.  While they were famous for their animals they did not often make vessels and even fewer which were carved and not just fully polished.  The result, however, it a nicely carved and polished piece.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Dorothy + Paul”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Joe Talachy (b. 1943) and Thelma Talachy (b. 1942) are two of the few potters from Pojoaque Pueblo in New Mexico.  Thelma is a sister of Minnie Vigil, Lois Gutierrez and Gloria Garcia.  Their daughter, Melissa Talachy, is also a well-known potter.  Each piece is coil built and painted with natural clay slips.  This seedpot has a multiple colors of clay used for the rain and lightning designs.  It is very tightly painted.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Joe & Thelma Talachy”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

This is a classic swirl ribbed melon bowl by Nancy Youngblood.  The bowl is coil built and each rib is deeply carved into the clay.  The depth of the carving and the symmetry of each rib is exceptional. This is certainly one of the enduring aspects of her incredible artistry.  Each rib is then polished with a stone to achieve the shine.  The bowl is from 1984 and note the sharp edge to each rib.  This is much more time consuming and difficult than if they are rounded.  The sharp edges easily chip during the carving and polishing stages.  Nancy said of this style of her carving:

“It’s more challenging to make a more pointed shaped shoulder than a simple rounded bowl. You have to flip them over when you are polishing and holding them at an angle. It’s not just one surface to polish but each side of every rib. They are all hard to do. If it was easy, everybody would be doing it.”  Nancy Youngblood, Spoken Through Clay

As you consider that each rib has two sides and how much surface area there is for this piece!  The ribs are also very deeply carved into the clay and almost come to a point at the edge! Check out the image looking down on the bowl to see the depth and symmetry of this piece.  Nancy says she can only polish three ribs in one sitting as they are so time-consuming.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed, “Nancy Youngblood Cutler” and it is from 1984.  Simply an iconic piece of her pottery!

This is a striking painted jar by Les Namingha.  The jar is one of Les’s iconic shapes with a round body and an elongated neck. The background of the jar has been painted with large swaths of color which Les has blended one into the next.  The green, red. blue and brown all create a subtle mosaic flow of coloration meant to represent the colorations on a hummingbird.  On the surface of the jar are painted two large Hopi style hummingbirds.  Each large bird is designed as if they are in frantic motion.  They are further detailed with additional Hopi-Tewa designs.  Note the use of the classic red and burgundy colors in the designs.  The “yellow” of the birds represents the “yellow-ware” of the classic Hopi-Tewa pottery.  The coloration works well on this jar on various levels.  The jar is signed on the bottom.

Rachel Concho (b. 1936) learned to make pottery from her mother, Santana Cerno.   She is a sister of Joseph Cerno and mother-in-law of Carolyn Lewis-Concho.  In 2000 she won Best in Show at Santa Fe Indian Market.  Her pottery is coil built and painted with bee-weed (black) and clay slips.  This seedpot has two lizards and insects on the top.  On the bottom has a fine-line star pattern along with classic Acoma rain and lightning designs.  There are accents of red clay slip.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay and it is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Rebecca Lucario is known for her delicate and intricately painted pottery.  This seedpot is painted with a lizard on top.  The lizard is surrounded by intricately painted geometric Acoma designs.  It is delicate in design and traditional in form.  The seedpot is signed on the bottom, “R. Lucario”.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Hubert Candelario is one of the few potters working at San Felipe Pueblo.  This is one of his melon bowls with 37 ribs!  Each rib is individually carved into the clay and start very narrowly at the neck and get larger at the shoulder and narrow to the base.  There is a beautiful symmetry that he is able to create with these pieces.  The ribs are round and slipped with a micaceous clay which gives the pieces its coloration and sparkle.  The piece is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Hubert Candelario”.

Sharon Lewis has developed her own very distinctive style of painted design.  Her pieces are beautifully formed, thin-walled and then tightly painted.  This bowl is thin walled and painted with a series of flowers with red centers. The red is an additional clay slip.  The flowers spiral around the bowl and are separated by fine-line rain designs.  The bowl is signed on the bottom, “Sharon Lewis”.

This jar by Dora Tse-Pe is from 1991.  It is her classic highly polished surface. The jar itself is carved with an asymmetric opening.  The piece was fired a deep black and then it was two-toned to create the sienna medallion.  In the center of the medallion, there is an inset piece of turquoise.  The jar is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Dora of San Ildefonso 1991”.

This is an exceptional lidded jar by Jeff Roller.  Jeff is a son of Toni Roller and a grandson of Margaret Tafoya.  He continues a family legacy of extraordinary traditional pottery.  This jar is coil built, stone polished and traditionally fired black.  However, the shape is what Jeff calls a “teardrop form” with narrow sides and a rounder base. The shape is also very much reminiscent of the mountain form. Jeff has carved a mountain design on each side with clouds and wind patterns above. Note the depth of the carving and its consistency throughout the piece.  Below the lid is a half-circle sun and the lid is carved with a traditional step cloud design.  Note how the carving on the sides continues up to the lid as if it is one piece!  The lid is perfectly fit to the jar which adds to the overall difficulty.  The piece is beautifully polished and fired.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Jeff Roller” and dated 2018.

Sharon Lewis has developed her own very distinctive style of painted design.  Her pieces are beautifully formed, thin-walled and then tightly painted.  This seedpot has four dragonflies in the center of the piece.  They are surrounding a flower design. There are additional checkerboard and fine-line patterns surrounding each dragonfly.  Around the rim of the seedpot are interlocking plant designs.  The piece is very detailed for the size.   The seedpot is signed on the bottom, “Sharon Lewis”.

This is an exceptional revival of a historic shape by Russell Sanchez.  The shape of the jar is a “double lobe”.  It is technically difficult to make as the coiling has to round in and out to create each of the “bowls” which seem to be sitting on each other.  Historically, these are inspired by cooking vessels which were set on top of each other.  The bottom section of this jar has angular carved eagle feathers swirling around the piece. They are polished black and the area at the very base is polished a light red.  Above the feathers is a checkerboard band representing corn alternating polished deep red and matte.  The center band, which Russell said was very difficult to polish, is light red coloration. The top “lobe” or bowl of the jar is polished a very deep red.  There are three designs which he has etched to encircle the jar. They range from a koshari to Early San Ildefonso inspired sun and rain designs.  Above and below the center band are checkerboard snow patterns in both black and light red.  Finally, the neck is polished black and the rim is a deep red. The inside of the rim has been carved with melon style ribs creating Russell’s distinctive “waterfall rim”.  There are so many technical aspects to the creation of this jar, from numerous clays to the form itself.  However, the final result is visually striking and very unusual.  The jar is signed on the base in the clay.  Once again Russell harkens to historic San Idlefonso designs and stories and uses them for his own contemporary work.

Russell Sanchez: Contemporizing the Pueblo Pottery Past

This is a striking double shoulder water jar by Jason Ebelacker.  The shape is distinctive with the wide shoulder, sloping neck and slightly turned out rim.  The movement of the shape creates numerous angles for the reflection of the light.  The wide shoulder of the jar has a second, raised shoulder or “rainbow band”.  This is technically difficult to achieve and you can even feel on the inside how the coils are pushed out to achieve the shape! The jar is very highly polished and there are two impressed bear paws as the design on either side. The paws represent the story of the bear who saved the village from a flood and they are represented on vessels which hold water.  The jar is stone polished to a high shine and then traditionally fired. The firing is always an unknown how a piece will turn out but this jar has the classic deep black coloration.  Jason is a son of noted potter Richard Ebelacker, a grandson of Virginia Ebelacker and great-grandson of Margaret Tafoya.  He has won numerous awards for his pottery and continues to be one of the younger potters to watch.  It’s great to see the continuing evolution of his work in clay.

This is an unusual dual signature jar by Tina Garcia and Greg Garcia.  Tina and Greg were brother and sister and both made traditional style pottery.  The jar is a classic water jar shape with a double shoulder.  It is most likely that Greg made the jar and then Tina polished the surface. The jar is well polished and has a high shine.  The jar was fired a deep black coloration.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Tina & Greg”.

This is an intricately painted jar by Les Namingha.  The jar is one of Les’s iconic shapes with a round body and an elongated neck. The background of the jar has striated bands of color.  Les has combined the color with mica to give the piece added dimension and texture.  The sections of them are reflective of the Hopi mesas and their colorations at sunset. There are give Hopi-Tewa birds which are painted onto the surface of the jar.  Each bird is a different color and they are detailed with Hopi-Tewa designs.  Each bird is designed as if they are reflecting the colors of the setting sun. Striking! The jar is signed on the bottom.

Debbie Clashin has become one of the exciting leaders in Hopi-Tewa pottery over the past several years.  She is known for her large-sized traditional fired vessels. This very large jar is entitled, “New Beginning”.  Debbie said that the designs symbolize the arrival of the Grandmother Katsina in the winter and the beginning of the Hopi new year in the cycle of the katsinas.  She has painted the Grandmother Katsina as a cradle doll on the sides of the jar.

“The Grandmother Katsina (Hahay-i wu-uti) shares with Crow Mother the title of Mother of all the Katsinam. Her husband is said to be Eototo and her children are the monsters, the Nataskas. She appears during the Bean Dance (Powamuya), the Serpent Ceremony and at Home Going (Niman). She speaks in a high voice and is very talkative. Flat carvings of the Grandmother Katsina are given to Hopi infants. As a young girl matures, she receives larger, more detailed forms of the Grandmother Katsina.”

This large jar is a wide shape and a slightly turned out neck.  The entire piece is stone polished and then it is painted with bee-weed and natural clay slips.  Separating the three katsina figures are large Hopi dragonflies which have dark and light red wings!  The jar is traditionally fired with blushes across the surface of the jar and a few little darker areas.   It is signed on the bottom with her name and a pipe for his “Tobacco Clan”.  Quite an exceptional jar!

This plate by Preston Duwyenie is made from white Hopi clay found near Third Mesa at Hopi.  The entire plate is stone polished on the front and back.  He has inset a single piece of silver, which looks much a pottery shard resting in the sand.  The silver piece is from cast from cuttlefish bone.  The textured surface of the silver then has his famous “shifting sand” style of design.   The plate is signed on the back in the clay with Preston’s hallmark which is a woman carrying a child, which comes from Preston’s Hopi name, which means “carried in beauty”.  Preston is from Third Mesa at Hopi, and taught ceramics for years at Institute of American Indian Art (IAIA) in Santa Fe.