ACOMA, LAGUNA AND ZUNI

Click on the photograph for an enlarged view.

     Dolores Aragon was born in 1969, the granddaughter of Dolores Sanchez, and daughter of Marie S Juanico. She was named after her grandmother, who lived to be 103, and was a well known potter. At the early age of five, Dolores started making clay animal figures. Later on she learned the traditional Acoma pottery techniques from her mother-in-law Wanda Aragon. Dolores is a “miniature” specialist. Using ONLY traditional materials and techniques, she creates some of the most authentic, coiled and designed pots. She was quoted as saying, “The old techniques of my ancestors have motivated me even more so to become a part of this tradition. By doing so, I too try different techniques. My grandmother and those before her were strong in keeping the spirit and tradition alive.”
     I have admired Dolores’ work for many years but never had the opportunity to work directly with her until now. When we met this summer, she explained to me that on each and every pot she makes, she recreates old classic Acoma patterns on her pieces. When you turn her pots over, there is a date on the bottom that shows when the designs originated.
     This is a wonderfully traditional painted piece. It is remarkably lightweight, and feels so smooth to the touch. I am very pleased to be working with Dolores and hope you enjoy her special work.

#AJLZ9416 - 4" high by 4" wide
Price: $800

     Carolyn Concho is a talented Acoma artist from an established pottery making family. At the age of 29, Carolyn was taught the tradition of making pottery from her older sisters, Rebecca Lucario, and Marilyn Henderson Ray, who in turn, were taught by their grandmother, Dolores S. Sanchez. Carolyn has become quite skillful, displaying her talents on seedpods and plates. Her paintings have beautiful geometric and Mimbres designs, "I enjoy painting Mimbres designs of all work, and working with many colors." All the clays and colors displayed on her work are natural. She was featured in the book Beyond Tradition, in recognition of her fine work.  
      This is a particularly nice handled jug.  The handle is twisted, and the design shows the women dancers – all around the center of the vase. The colorful band of geometric designs on the bottom set off the colors of the women’s dresses. It is really great!

#AJLZ9519 - 3 1/2" high by 3 1/2" wide
Price: $325 SOLD

      Paula is just getting better and better. Her painting is so precise and dazzling. Paula Estevan was born in 1967 and has been making pottery since 1986. Paula has over 20 years experience and her work exhibits a very high degree of accomplishment. She is the daughter of Patsy Mike and the sister of Marcia Estevan. She is a self-taught potter. Paula’s work is included in “Southern Pueblo Pottery: 2000 Artist Biographies” by Gregory Schaaf and “Pueblo and Navajo Contemporary Pottery” by Berger & Schiffer.
     This vase is completely covered with black and white expertly painted diamonds. It is certainly an eye dazzler. Thin walled, Handcoiled, it is terrific example of Acoma pottery made in the traditional methods.

#AJLZ3819 - 4 3/4" high by 5" wide
Price: $675 SOLD

      Here is another striking miniature black and white bowl by Paula. The design works perfectly well on this shape.

#AJLZ7723 - 2 1/2" high by 3" wide
Price: $245 SOLD

      Here is another stunning bowl by Paula Estevan. Again, one can see why she is so well regarded as a designer of dazzler pots. It is hard to imagine the time involved in painting such a piece!

#AJLZ3820 - 4 3/4" high by 5 1/4" wide
Price: $675 SOLD

      "Acoma potter Adrianne Roy Keene's work challenges the boundaries between traditional and contemporary in the world of art. As a full time teacher with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Tuba City, Arizona, she also uses her work to bridge boundaries between peoples, teaching children the importance of being the best a person can be through art." This is what was just written about Adrianne in a lead article in the Indian Market Albuquerque Journal , August 19, 1999. She states in that article, " The pots are alive once I produce them." She grew up watching her mother make pots, but never made one herself until after her firstborn son had passed away. He passed away on Mother's Day, in 1976 - and when she "came out of her depression" - she found herself making pots. Her mother, Juanita Keene, helped her through that time, and encouraged her pottery making. Adrianne shows an incredible talent - she is one of the best miniaturists working today, She uses the traditional colors of black, white and red - and paints with painstaking detail. She has developed a style that is unique among Acoma potters- her seed jars feature a corrugated blossom around the top - made with a triangular shaped stick - pressed from the inside to the out. This corrugation must be completed in a single day to pevent cracking. We hope you enjoy her unique work.
     It has been more than a year that Adrianne produced these fabulous miniature pots for us. She is like no other potter, in this special technique she uses to precisely carve the top of the pot in a corrugated form. Whether it has a white top, or red top, Adrianne's work is always marvelous.
      This seed pot has such a detailed design on it. Adrianne made the pot, and started to paint it, but she couldn’t figure out exactly what pattern to draw. So she let it sit on her shelf for several weeks simply waiting for the exact right design to emerge. Finally, she created an entirely new pattern; something she has never done before. She doesn’t have a name for it yet - but it combines swirls, waves, and classic old style black and white imagery. She was so happy with its completion, and so are we!

#AJLZ5714 - 5 1/2" high by 3 1/4" wide
Price: $1800 SOLD

       Here is another white topped piece that Adrianne created with a figurative pattern. She really enjoys painting the Friendship Dancers, and that pattern works wonderfully well with the corrugation and the fine line work below it. This is a perfect example of her pristine work.

#AJLZ5715 - 2 1/2" high by 3 1/4" wide
Price: $800 SOLD

      Here is another seed bowl with the fine line work – but with a corrugated white top. She has depicted the classic Tularosa swirl. It is a magnificent piece.

#AJLZ3714 - 2 1/2" high by 3 1/2 " wide
Price: $800 SOLD

     Diane Lewis is a member of one of the two non-related Lewis families at Acoma Pueblo. While the Lucy Lewis family is very well known, the children of Katherine Lewis (Marilyn Henderson Ray, Rebecca Lucario, Bernard and Sharon Lewis, Carolyn Concho, Judy Lewis and Diane Lewis) produce some of the finest pottery done at Acoma today. Each sibling has carved out their own niche and Diane's is creating seed pots with abundant use of natural colors. Her designs are dense and colorful, resulting in very striking works of art. Wonderful for the miniature collectors, as well as those that want very special Hand coiled and natural painted Acoma ware.
     We have always been partial to plates in our gallery, and these new ones are beautiful. Diane does a wonderful job creating all kinds of Acoma birds. Here we see quail and parrots.

#AJLZ9721 -
A) 4 1/2" wide
Price: $195
B) 4 1/4"" wide
Price: $195

      Here are three long necked quail, each one with different slips, set in a central medallion encircled by red and mustard. Acoma geometrics are carefully painted on the rim.

#AJLZ9722 - 1 1/2" high by 3" wide
Price: $160

     Sharon Lewis was born in 1959, and is a member of the Red Corn Clan from the Acoma Pueblo. Sharon was inspired ton continue her family tradition of hand coiling pottery by Marilyn Ray and other members of her family. She has been making traditional hand coiled pottery since 1978. She specializes in miniatures. She gathers her clay and other pigments from within the Acoma Pueblo. Her clay is cleaned, mixed, shaped, sanded, and painted in the traditional manner. She adds pottery shards to stabilize her clay. Sometimes she collaborates with her husband, and they often make pieces with lizards crawling on the pots.
      Most recently, Sharon has been devoting her time to perfecting the fine line painting. “The painting is what I love most because you can become really creative. Sometimes I dream of designs” She is doing incredible work.
      We really feel that Sharon is doing some of the very best fine line work today. She is constantly changing her designs, inventing new symbols, and pushing herself with both form and patterns. This vase is simply stunning. We like everything about it!

#AJLZ1810 - 6 1/2 " high by 5" wide
Price: $1400

      Here is a marvelous example of Sharon’s fine line work using the multi colored natural slips as background. Eye dazzler, for sure! She is meticulous and precise – and the colors work so beautifully.

#AJLZ5727 - 1 3/4" high by 3" wide
Price: $400

     Charmae comes from a distinguished family of Acoma potters, and learned the art from her mother, Ethel Shields, who also makes storyteller figures. Charmae is known for her seed pots, immaculately designed in black and white, and also for her more unique formed pots that take the shape of pyramids, or boxes. Her painting is so precise, and crisp, that it sets her apart from other painters. She is married to Thomas Natseway, the award winning miniature artist.
    This is an unusual box, with black and white geometric designs all along the sides of the piece. It is perfectly angular. The top features two polychrome eagle tails – boldly painted on a white background. The sculpted white stopper, shaped like a pyramid, adds a bit of height to the box.

#AJLZ7616 - 4" high by 4" wide by 4" deep
Price: $585

     This is a very cool, lidded cylinder by Charmae. This piece shows her skills in painting both polychrome combinations, as well and black and white fine line work. It is always such a pleasure seeing Charmae’s work, as the painting is so precise and clean.

#AJLZ7617 - 6 1/2" high by 3" wide
Price: $695 SOLD

      Another unique shape coiled by Charmae – the “star”. This one, a little larger than some of her other pieces, is wonderfully crafted with polychrome lizards on the top – I love the way their tails seem to disappear off the lidded box. The multi colored lizards on top work beautifully with the bold black and white designs on the underside,

#AJLZ57816 - 2 1/2" high by 5" wide
Price: $650

     Anderson Peynetsa is one of the young talented potters from Zuni who still work in the traditional style. Anderson is the brother of Priscilla, and the son of Wilma Jean Peynetsa. He has been potting for more than twenty years. He was a student of the well known potter Jennie Laate who taught pottery at Zuni High School. She saw great promise in his work.
     Anderson is mostly known for his large jars that show traditional Zuni designs. He often paints the "deer in the house" but loves to make whimsical lizard jars, as well. Anderson's wife, Avelia often does the actual polishing of the pot. The walls of the pots are usually very thin.
     This very large olla is the largest Zuni piece we have acquired at the gallery. It is so well coiled as well as decorated. The striking black deer in the house images as well as the Zuni flower blossoms are powerfully viewed against the white slipped background. The wide and high shoulder gives it such a stately presence. It is a simply marvelous example of classic, Zuni pottery.

#AJLZ7724 - 11 1/2" high by 12" wide
Price: $1500

     Dorothy Torivio has been a recognized potter since 1975. She is one of the most innovative abstract designers in all of Native American pottery. She is able to integrate her shapes to accentuate the eye dazzling designs. These designs have awarded her recognition all over the world. Her paintings actually create vibrations and optical illusions. Dorothy was born in 1946, and has always worked within her Native American tradition.
     "Back in 1982 and 1983 I was mostly doing Mimbres designs, the animals on seed pots. One day I had the idea to take a specific design and repeat it over and over again on the shape of the pot." People have asked Dorothy whether she was immune to the vibrations of her own pots while hand painting them -- she candidly replies, "Oh no! They drive me CRAZY!" She uses chewed yucca stalk that she makes into a brush for painting. "We take from the yucca just what we need. We don't kill the whole plant, we just take off a few stems, and they are free from Mother Earth." Dorothy has won so many awards -- it would be impossible to list them. She is one of a kind - Her art work is unique, individualistic, and overwhelmingly beautiful.
     This new vase is wonderful. With precision and accuracy, Dorothy perfectly covers the pot with her classic "Diamond Star Pattern." The center of this polychrome design is a four-pointed star with a cross. As the vase “stretches” from bottom to top, it looks as though it expands and contracts in perfect geometry. She is one of a kind!

#AJLZ7618 - 5" high by 6 1/2" wide
Price: $1600

     Calvin Analla is the brother of Yvonne Lucas, who is married to Hopi potter, Steve Lucas. He comes from the Paguate Village of the Laguna Pueblo. Like his sister and brother in law, Calvin's work is traditionally hand built with natural materials, then hand painted, and then fired outdoors in a sheep dung firing pit.
      Recently, Calvin has been experimenting with his clay bodies. He is mixing Hopi clay with his Laguna clay, and the effect is amazing. It looks marbled, and mottled – almost having a wooden effect. Calvin does a marvelous job of coiling old style, traditional forms and shapes. This open bowl is so lightweight- feather like. The painting is as precise as it can be, and is placed perfectly in the center of the pot. We are so pleased with Calvin’s new works; he is truly a magnificent painter.

#AJLZ9731 - 5" high by 7" wide
Price: $1300 SOLD

     Marcus Dann-Lente is a Laguna-Hopi artist. He is a member of the Water and the Kachina Clans. Inspired and taught to work in clay by Preston Duweynie from the Hopi Pueblo and by May Chavez from Acoma Pueblo, he uses all traditional pottery techniques. He fires his pottery outdoors with cedar chips. His pots are thin walled, and very well constructed.
      We haven’t had many canteens, as they are difficult to shape. Marcus has coiled a classic canteen that leans at an angle. The black and white deer in the house motif is lovely on the front, with a beautiful black and white floral image on the back. The twisted handles are nicely made; the black band around the top accents the whole piece. Marcus does excellent work.

#ALZ11611 - 9" high by 9" wide
Price: $795

      We are partial to traditional parrot pots, and Marcus is one of the best at this pattern, incorporating rainbow designs and flowers.  He is a top notch painter, constantly improving, and here we see his excellence.

#AJLZ3715 - 8 1/4" high by 10 1/2" wide
Price: $850

     So many people have been admiring Yvonne's work since she has been recreating the traditional Laguna ware. Her painting in the design area is precise and neat - and the shaping is marvelous.The contrast between some of the open white areas on the top, and darker painted areas on the bottom is stunning. We can understand why Yvonne has received so much recognition in the past two years. Her work is marvelous.
     I love the tight, precise, painting on this pot. Like her husband, Steve Lucas, Yvonne has a wonderful way with red slips. Her colors here are deep, and bold. Notice how well the band on the top, around the lip balances with the same band on the bottom. The pattern here is quite complex. There is the floral band at the top – and the center of the body is comprised of stark and stunning patterns – divided by checkerboard diamond shapes and circular medallions with clover like forms. It is a magnificently painted jar. The shape and size are terrific. This is a great example of Yvonne’s outstanding work.

#AJLZ7721 - 8" high by 9 1/2" wide
Price: $3300

      This is quite simply one of the most beautifully painted pieces I have seen from Yvonne. It is so bold, and crisp that it “pops” out at you from the shelf. Elegantly painting the floral and checkerboard patterns with precision, the composition is well placed on the shape of the bowl and complex. The balance of the red top and red bottom, make for an aesthetically superior piece of pottery.

#AJLZ12716 - 7 1/2 " high by 8 3/4 " wide
Price: $2500

     Historic Laguna pottery did not become recognizably different from Acoma pottery until about 1830. During the next century, the Lagunas perfected a variation of white-slipped polychrome with bold and simple designs. Pottery almost died at Laguna in the mid-twentieth century, but Evelyn Cheromiah started making these designs a few years ago, and she was joined in 1980 by Gladys Paquin. She began to "copy" the old Laguna patterns. "First I used the word "copy", now I think of carrying on the traditions, their inspiration." She likes to fire outside, as she says, "The kiln sort of kills it and dries it out. It looks dead. When it is done outside it looks alive. That's why I stay away from the kiln." Her pots are beautiful, well made and painted, and very reasonable.
      This is an old classic Laguna pattern that Gladys has brought back to life. She is an expert painter. Notice the two tones of red on the bottom – achieving a true polychrome effect.

#AJLZ3716 - 8 1/4" high by 8" wide
Price: $1100

     This is a beautiful jar from Gladys, made in 2000. The painting designs are very strong on the pot, with such nice work on the rim, setting off the old style Laguna patterns on the bottom. It is nice to see how traditional Laguna work stands the test of time.

#AJLZ7727 - 7 " high by 7 1/2" wide
Price: $600

      Here is a new bowl that Gladys just finished with her parrot design. It has marvelous colors, well defined painting, and a lovely shape. Gladys remains one of the most important potters in the Laguna Pueblo.

#AJLZ5725 - 9 1/4" high by 7 3/4" wide
Price: $870