HOPI AND NAVAJO

Click on the photograph for an enlarged view.

      Karen was born on September 23, 1960. She is one of the finest young Hopi potters working today. She particularly likes using some of the older designs on her pots – the Polik Mana - (Butterfly Maiden) pottery sherds, feathers, eagle tail feather skirt, clouds, and song birds. Karen works particularly hard on her outdoor firing techniques - aiming to have a certain warm glow with the use of fire clouds. We continue to be so pleased with Karen’s current work. As recognition for her fine traditional Hopi ware grows, so does her excellence in shaping and painting.
      This new bowl is rather complex. It really shows off the excellent standard she sets for painted pottery. The symmetry of her painting is fantastic on this piece. The bowl has a rich and golden hue, and the black slipped design work with the red classic Hopi tones works so well. Notice the divided shard pattern around the opening of the bowl. Then the bold black/red eagle tail imagery set off by the marvelous combinations of Hopi symbols. This is really one of Karen’s most beautiful pots!

#HN398 - 3 1/2" high by 6 1/4" wide
Price: $975 SOLD

      Dorothy Ami - is one of the relatively new young Hopi potters working today. Her work is innovative in design, shape and clay colorations. Her fine line designs are carefully drawn and beautifully painted using a single strand of yucca and all natural pigments. Dorothy's cousin, Mark Tahbo, has been "mentoring" her - and her recent work has shown so much growth and change. Her painting is both clean and precise. Her pieces are thin walled, and the firing techniques show beautiful areas of blush.

#HN9730 - 9 1/2" high by 5" wide
Price: $1200

      Loren Ami has been an active potter since 1990. His grandmother was Eleanor Ami, and he was taught to make pottery by DEXTRA. He was raised in Santa Fe, away from Hopiland. During his senior year in high school, he and his mom moved back to Hopi. Loren paints with old, Sikyatki designs, and is especially known for his fine polychrome canteens, wedding vases, and bowls. The shape of this wedding vase is just right. Well proportioned, and beautifully painted, it is a lovely piece. Look at the use of fire clouding that he achieves in his firing. A warm glow surrounds the entire wedding vase.

#HN5711 - 9 3/4" high by 4" wide
Price: $1800

      This new bowl is so magnificently painted. The classic eagle tail design is interpreted by Loren in a masterful way. He is certainly one of the more precise painters working today. His firing techniques are fantastic - as a warm glow surrounds the entire bowl. The red slip painted on the opening of this bowl is terrific.

#HN7719 - 5" high by 6 3/4" wide
Price: $2400

     Here is a stunning mica round ornament showcasing their incised, red turtles with dragonflies in the background. Notice how the backs of the turtles almost look like snowflakes. I think those design elements are great. This can be hung on a tree, or displayed on this stand that they found to go with it.

#SC12816 - 4" high by 3" wide
Price: $600

      Jacob Koopee was born March 31, 1970. He is the great-grandson of Nampeyo; grandson of Marie Koopee, and son of Jacob Koopee Sr. (Tewa) and Georgia Dewakuku Koopee. Jake lives in the Hopi village of Sichomovi, one of the three villages on the top of First Mesa. In 1996 Jake was awarded Best of Show, Committee’s Choice, and Best Traditional Pottery, at the Museum of Northern Arizona. He has since won “Best of Show" awards at both the Heard Museum and Santa Fe Indian Market 2005! He has successfully participated in and won many awards at several Markets since then. Jake lives in the Hopi village of Sichomovi, one of the three villages on the top of First Mesa.
     Jake loves to base his designs on old Sikyaki designs, adding roundels, with innovative clown and Kachina faces. He also likes to work on interpretations of the eagle tail designs. Jake reports, "My aunt Dextra (Quotsyuyva) inspired to me this "pottery shard design." Jake is a young man with extraordinary talent. He creates some of the largest hand coiled / open fired pieces of pottery at Hopi. He can make wonderful miniatures, as well as large pieces. His shapes are different, and his designs are creative.
      This is a beautiful interpretation of an eagle tail jar. The polychrome painting is lovely, and the Hopi designs fit the shape of the vase so well. It is a terrific example of his traditional work

#HN9801 - 6 1/2" high by 5" wide
Price: $2500

     Bearing the Hopi name Koyemsi, which stands for the Hopi-Tewa mudhead clown, Steve Lucas has become one of the premier potters from the Nampeyo family. He consistently wins blue ribbons at the Santa Fe Indian Market, the Heard Museum Guild Fair and the Gallup Ceremonial. His work is made in the traditional style of his great-great grandmother, Nampeyo. He coils, pinches, scrapes, sands, and then fires outside. Steve uses vegetal paints, and is able to achieve beautifully deep, rich colors in his design work.
     Oh – what a fabulous LARGE bowl by Steve. A full 11” wide, the size of this piece lends itself to showcase the complexities of Steve’s paintings. An abstract polychrome creation, every stroke is perfect and meaningfully placed on the top and sides of this wonderful bowl. As much as we like the smaller examples of his work – when you can see a fully decorated – wide expanse of his painting – one can fully understand why he is considered to be one of the finest potters working in Hopi today. When you add the natural glow that results from outdoor firing, you are left with a marvelous piece of contemporary art.

#HN0907 - 5 1/2"' high by 11" wide
Price: $5500

     This is a particularly beautifully painted piece of pottery by Steve Lucas. The hues are so deep- reds, blacks, tans, combined with bold lines and modern flecking of colors. The stylized eagle tails and feathers create such movement around the plain polished bottom. There is a high polished glow with this piece, brought out by the careful and extensive stone polishing.

#HN1911 - 4 1/2" high by 6 1/2" wide
Price: $1975

      One of the things I admire so much about Steve�'s work is his ability to look at a bowl or a jar and design his painted elements so well to fit the form and shape.  Here he has depicted Prayer Feathers and Owls, in a simple but very beautiful way. The painting is precise, the colors are bright and clear, and the firing is really lovely. This is a very nice example of Steve�fs creative design work.

#HN12717 - 7 1/4" high by 6 1/4" wide
Price: $2400

      Steve remains one of the most talented potters and painters in Hopi. His senses of form, as well as designs are exemplary. His images always have a marvelous flow to them. Notice how he wraps the design elements of the eagle tail all around one side of the pot - and keeps part of his "canvas" plain polished. Steve's sense of proportion is great. The firing is fabulous - golden and orange hues. What a marvelous example of his work.

#HN1055 - 4 1/2" high by 7 1/2" wide
Price: $2700

      This is a great shape with a very narrow bottom, accentuated by a deep red slipped area banded in black, then wonderful bird imagery on the top with diamonds and other symbols. Along with the red slips, he also used some brown on this one (in the diamond areas) and it really works well. It has a beautiful sheen to it, so the painting jumps out in a bold style. Steve is a marvelous painter, so careful, and pristine,

#HN978 - 7" high by 8 1/2" wide
Price: $3200

      Steve is marvelous when he paints a "simple" design. This bowl has a beautiful red bottom, and a panel of stylized bird imagery. Varying the painting with red and white slips, the precision with which he paints is of the highest quality.

#HN182- 7 " high by 7" wide
Price: $2650

     Sylvia Naha was the daughter of Helen and Archie Naha, and the granddaughter of Paqua Naha. Paqua was the first Frog Woman, and Helen, the first Feather Woman. Sylvia passed away in August of 1999, at the age of 48.  Helen's children signed their pottery with a feather, and their first initial when they were young, and now each has developed their own signature retaining the feather. Sylvia's signature remained the same: a feather, punctuated by the letter 'S'. Sylvia won many awards over the years.
     This bowl, which was in a private collection, is in perfect condition. It is such a great example if her work, as she has the classic lizard on the top with the cornstalk, and the black and white Awatovi swirl is on the bottom.

#HN7612 - 4 3/4" high by 5" wide
Price: $2200

     Rondina was born in Keams Canyon, Arizona and is a member of the Tewa Kachina/Parrot Clan. She has been a resident of Polacca, Arizona since her childhood. Never receiving any formal training in pottery making, she makes her pottery in the traditional way. She starts the process by collecting clay from down below the mesa, then sifts, strains, and dries the clay. Then she coils, dries, and sands the pottery. Then comes polishing, slipping, and painting. Finally she fires the pieces outside. Rondina still uses yucca plants to make her paint brushes. She is truly one of this country's most gifted potters. Her pots are undeniably her own - with a distinctive style of decoration.
     Rondina won BEST OF SHOW at INDIAN MARKET in 1986 and 1996 she gathers her clay near the ruined village of Awatovi, Arizona, and still makes her own paintbrushes from yucca plants. With them she applies incredibly intricate and delicate black, white, and red designs to backgrounds of white and orange buff. Her rows are so tightly packed with blocks of repeating patterns that her symbols create eye dazzling designs. This work is so demanding, and so unbelievably time consuming, that there are very few potters who even attempt to imitate this style. She really is one of our "master potters." "You must feel good, beginning when you dig the clay. It comes from Mother Nature and deserves respect."
     This new shape is a bit different from her open bowls. Adding a plain polished neck, giving the jar some height , the base of tight designs is even more accentuated against the plain top. Rondina works so hard to keep her designs as tight as possible. She is one of a kind !

#HN961 - 4 1/2" high by 4 1/2" wide
Price: $4800 SOLD

     Charles was born in 1965, and is the great grand-son of Paqua Naha, and the grandson of Joy Navasie ("Frog Woman") Charles uses Sityatki decorations on his pots. This one is a terrific shape - with the classic design on the top of the bowl, and the beautiful plain polished elegance on the bottom, showing off the lustrous natural firing marks. And this time, he has painted his hallmark signature on the actual front of the pot - not on the bottom. It adds a special unique quality to the design.
      Charles is known for his tightly painted designs and thin walled pottery.  This bowl is a beautiful example of that work. Here he has eagle tail designs, painted with the traditional Hopi reds and blacks. The tails are combined with flowing and detailed geometrics providing quite a bit of movement to the piece.

#HN7518 - 6 " high by 6 1/2 " wide
Price: $900

     Dextra is the daughter of Rachel and Emerson Namingha. Her grandparents were Annie and Willie Healing and her Tewa Great-grandmother was Nampeyo. Dextra began making pottery in 1967. She has been working on her pottery ever since, and is now recognized as the "living matriarch of Hopi pottery." Her mother, Rachel, watched and supervised her. Dextra was recognized as a "Master" in 1977 in an article in the American Indian Art Magazine. The article stated that "The graceful shapes bear a rich complexity of designs and the craftsmanship is flawless,"
      This bowl is absolutely beautiful. There is a central image of a stylized eagle tail and wings bordering a beautiful red and black Hopi geometric - a very lovely design. The backside of the bowl has a red painted area that acts as a border on the plain polished area. She has polished her pot with the deep red slip, and painted the black areas with bee-weed. The firing on this piece turned out particularly well. It is golden, and has a slight orange cast to it. It is a beautiful shape and the design works well on this open bowl. It really is a special polychrome jar with a Siktyaki design. One can see why Dextra has been such an instrumental figure in the world of traditional Hopi-Tewa pottery..

#HN1199 - 5 ¼” high by 6” wide
Price: $5800

     The process of making pottery is a time-honored tradition among the Hopi-Tewa potters of First Mesa, Arizona. The clay is dug from the earth and the impurities are filtered out. Then the bowl is formed in the traditional method of layering coil upon coil. Mark Tahbo does not use any additional clay slip to polish his bowls, but re-wets the body of the piece and then uses a stone to burnish it. This is the process that creates the high shine on his work. Their bowls are fired in a traditional outdoor firing, using sheep manure and old pottery shards as part of the process. Mark�fs work is deeply influenced by his Hopi-Tewa ancestry. However, he is an individualist artist at heart. Mark has so much creativity and innovative spirit reflected in his art work. He is the great-grandson of noted potter Grace Chapella. Today, they Mark is among the leaders of the Hopi-Tewa potters.
     This very large bowl, from 1998 was a first place prize winner at the Gallup ceremonial. The design is simple, but it is magnificently painted and fired. Look at he gorgeous golden orange fire clouds- soft and almost sun kissed. The eagle tail imagery is beautifully placed on the top of the pot, with deep polychrome elements. This allows for the simple, plain bottom to accentuate the painting. Mark has always been a very fine designer.

#HN9812 - 5 1/2" high by 13" wide
Price: $5000

     By now you probably know that we truly love this shape that Mark creates called a “genie” jar. Simple, elegant, and stunning in tonal qualities, it is marvelous. The gradations of yellow, gold, and tan, all in a single piece is perfect. Very lightweight, this is a great addition to someone’s collection who wants to have a traditional unpainted Hopi jar.

#HN12811 - 5 1/2" high by 5 1/2" wide
Price: $900

     Harrison Begay, Jr. is a Navajo artist. He was born in Keams Canyon, Arizona in 1961. He grew up in Arizona, and Utah, and now resides in New Mexico. He went to college at a small school in Utah and then quickly turned to art as a full time career. He is a self-taught potter, who received lots of help from friends and other artists. Actually, Harrison started as a painter, using oils and acrylics, and then decided to turn all his attention and efforts to pottery.
     Harrison has become known for his deep, clean carvings in both black and red ware. He uses cross-cultural symbols, such as petroglyphs, animal imagery, and geometric designs. He often uses Navajo symbols directly stemming from his own cultural heritage.
     Since 1999 he has won so many awards at the Santa Fe Indian Market, Eight Northern Market, and the Heard Museum Show. It seems that with each passing year, he has become better known, and has earned great respect as a talented potter. We have worked with him since the very first day we started this business, and it is always a pleasure!
     Harrison is known for his deep carved bears, and here he mixes them so nicely with various geometric designs. The bears on this piece really fill the rounded areas of the pot well. Using Harrison's trademark balance between polished and matte symbols, this open bowl turned out beautifully. There is a lovely symmetry to the piece with a plain polished band on the top and bottom.

#HN6912 - 3 ¾” high by 4 ½” wide
Price: $600

     This is one of the larger jars we have had by Harrison. His carvings are phenomenal. They are so deep and pristine. He has used so many designs elements; bears, spirals, steps, geometrics, feathers, and they all work in a cohesive way. The polishing on this jar is also remarkable. The shape is well executed, so the jar has a very full and round feel. We always like to see what patterns Harrison is going to create. This is a truly magnificent jar.

#HN11012 - 8 ½” high by 8” wide
Price: $4000

     Here are some terrific examples of Harrison’s black carved pieces in miniature forms.

#HN11012 -
A) Turtle Vase
2 ¾” high by 2”wide
Price: $325
B) Buffalo bowl
2 ¼” high by 2 ½” wide
Price: $350 SOLD
C) Geometrics
2” high by 2 ¼” wide
Price: $300

     What a complex, beautiful round bowl from Harrison. There is so much deep carving. His polishing is wonderful, and symmetry of the elements is aesthetically pleasing. From every angle there are terrific designs.

#HN995 - 6” high by 6” wide
Price: $1400

     This bowl is beautifully shaped. Harrison has carved an avanyu around the center of the bowl and has kept it matte colored. He has carved a deep border around the top with the Greek Key design and water images. In keeping with the rest of the bowl, carvings are both polished and matte. Harrison’s designs for these contrasts are particularly well placed on the bowl.

#HN7811 - 5 ¾” high by 7 ½” wide
Price: $1400

     Harrison creatively tried making bears that could be hung as ornaments, or free standing on a shelf. They turned out beautifully – great deep brown color, nicely carved heartlines, and nicely coiled forms.

#HN12823 -
A) 3" high by 4" wide
Price: $250 SOLD
B) 2 3/4" high by 4" wide
Price: $225
C) 2 1/2" high by 3 1/4" wide
Price: $200 SOLD

     Alice Cling is the daughter of Rose Williams, and began to make pottery in 1966 after returning to Shonto after her high school graduation. She soon thereafter created her own unique style, using simplicity of form, and achieving a soft surface sheen. These traits have become hallmarks of her work. She has perfected this burnishing technique through much trial and error, using just the right amount of pitch in her work to produce this highly appealing result- her polished pottery almost looks like beautiful wood carvings! She sometimes experiments with texture by occasionally incising, or impressing, or adding appliquéd bands of clay. In 1978, one of her pieces was exhibited in the Vice-Presidential Mansion in Washington DC. Since then, she has won numerous awards at every Market and show that she has entered. We are pleased to work directly with Alice as she designs new and beautiful shaped traditional pitch coated Navajo pottery.
    This is a beautifully shaped vase we have acquired from Alice. The simplicity of the piece is what makes it so special - browns, reds, and blacks, all melding together

#HN12625 - 14" high by 8" wide
Price: $1450

    This is a beautiful shape that Alice has created over the years. The top is asymmetrical and carved. The rest of the vase is her classic plain polished, highly burnished work. Alice used to refer to her own work as crude and "ugly" but that was quite a while ago, as her work has evolved into these beautiful vases and bowls. Achieving this warm red/brown surface comes in part from the iron content in her slip and the skill she uses in her traditional, outdoor firings. Alice excels at the burnishing technique using a smooth stone or stick.

#HN6914 - 7" high
Price: $270

    This square opening pot has a wide shoulder and is a beautiful shape. Alice does such a nice job with these elegant, plain polished vases.

#HN6915 - 5 1/4" high
Price: $240

      Elizabeth is one of Betty Manygoats' daughters, and is a very skilled potter. Self-taught, she hand builds and fires her pieces by traditional methods. Along with traditional Navajo pottery styles that she decorates with appliqué horned toads, ears of corn, and prickly pear cactus, she also creates pictorial scenes of Navajo life for what are called "lifestyle" pots, much like the woven designs on Reservation Pictorial rugs. The figures and design elements she uses are appliquéd and glazed in lifelike colors. Her pottery often features herders on foot, horses, hogan, children, and Navajo women in various poses. Elizabeth creates freestanding figures as well as bowls and jars featuring figures in relief... As is common to all Navajo potters, Elizabeth places a final slip of pinion resin on her completed works
     Elizabeth Manygoats is from Tonalea, AZ. She signs her work, "EM" with "Dine' " and also as "E. Manygoats" in cursive letters, and sometimes dates her pots with the year they were made.
      This sculptural “clay scene” called is actually all formed out of ONE PIECE OF CLAY. It is called “Disagreements” and shows the couple, along with their dog and little lamb, sitting on separate sides of the tree trunk; hopefully they will end their dispute and come back together again! It is delightful; Elizabeth is a real talent! This piece comes with the red ribbon it won at the Museum of Northern Arizona Heritage Program Festival.
      Elizabeth was just recently in an automobile accident while returning home from the Native Treasures Show in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her brother was traveling with her and was killed. We are so sorry for her loss, but we are happy to report that she is out of the hospital and recovering.

#HN9911 - 8 ½” high by 6” wide
Price: $750

     Also known for her pictorial tiles – this one features the famous “Long Walk Home” You can see why she is at the forefront of this representational style of work.

#HN9912 - 4 1/4” high by 5 ½” wide
Price: $225

      Samuel Manymules was born August 30, 1963 of the Bitterwater Clan for the Red Horse Nakai Dine Clan. He writes for us, "Unemployment is extremely high on the Navajo Nation. Through my adult life, I have been employed sporadically among many trades: I once made jewelry for the late Herbert Taylor, drove a tow truck for several years, and worked at an auto dealership. After dabbling in making pottery for over a decade, it is only very recently that I considered myself a potter, I am self-taught, At the moment, I consider myself more serious and engaged with my pottery.
      The vessels I make are of traditional natural materials. First, I gather moist pure clay from local riverbed sources, which is then dried three to four months in the sun. When dried, the resulting clumps are crushed, ground and sifted into fine powder. Temper is also gathered and processed; volcanic ash, silt, or pottery shards may be used. After hand mixing, the clay is set aside for curing. Finally, after many months of preparation, the clay mixture is ready for use. Firing is an all-day process. Cedar wood is used because it burns efficiently and high temperatures. Fire clouds happen by chance. When finished, debris, such as ash, is carefully removed. Refined pinion tree sap is then swabbed inside and out with a stick while the vessel cools. After the vessel cools, the pottery is polished with a cotton cloth to a high sheen."
      Samuel has won numerous awards since 2002, including a recent Judges' Choice Award at the 2008 Heard Museum and a Blue Ribbon at the 2009 Santa Fe Indian Market. He has been awarded Blue and red ribbons at both the Santa Fe Indian Market, the Heard Museum Market, and in both 2005 and 2006 won Best of Pottery at the Southwest Museum Indian Marketplace.
      Samuel continues to work on his superb shapes and forms. His forms tend to be sophisticated and elegant. There is simplicity to his work that is so pleasing. This new water jar is one of our favorite, traditional shapes. Notice the beautiful fire clouds.

#HN999 - 11” high by 10” wide
Price: $2460

    Ida Sahmie was born in 1960. Like many young Navajo girls, Ida Sahmie was taught to weave rugs by her mother and grandmother. But unlike most of those other girls, Ida grew up to be rather unconventional. She married a Hopi man, she learned to make pottery, and she graduated from the International Business College in Albuquerque, New Mexico as a microcomputer specialist.
     Ida was raised in the Pine Springs, Arizona area of the Navajo reservation. When she was 19 years old she married Andrew Sahmie, ofmHopi/Tewa descent. Andrew's mother is Priscilla Namingha, granddaughter ofmNampeyo, a name that is synonymous with Hopi pottery. For several years after her marriage, Ida watched her in-laws as they made pottery. Then one day she picked up some clay and began to form a small pot. "I smoothed and polished it just like they did," she says, "but I painted my own designs. And right away those little pots sold. I couldn't stop. People liked it."
    In 1986 Ida entered her first competition at the Navajo Craftsman Exhibition at the Museum of Northern Arizona, and won a blue ribbon for a beautiful jar with a Mother Earth - Father Sky design. That same year she also won a first place award at the Navajo Nation Fair. Since then she has received numerous awards for her pieces.
    Ida collects her clay from the Hopi Reservation, mixing it with a small amount of yellow clay so that it fires to a light tan color. Each pot is made by first coiling clay ropes into the shape desired, after which the sides are scraped until the coils are blended together. After the pot dries she brings it to a smooth finish, inside and out, by sanding and adding a coat of slip. Then she polishes the outside.
    Painting is the last thing she does before firing. Ida uses natural red and white earth pigments and black paint made from bee plant, painting her pottery with a yucca brush. Ida fires her pots outdoors in a wood and manure fueled oven. "My potteries are good because I do my own designs," Ida explains. "I think it's my designs that people like-the unique combination of Hopi and Navajo. In shows I like the tag to say Navajo, because that is what I am. But to me, my work is contemporary pottery.
     Ida's painting is changing, in that she uses new imagery. She includes snowcapped mountains, birds in flight, and shadowed figures. This new depiction of a daytime Yei Dance is both realistic and contemporary at the same time.

#HN6919 - 3 ¼” high by 2 ¾” wide
Price: $600 SOLD

    Ida is an amazing painter. She has done miniature tiles for us as well as large ones. She has made mini canteens and very large canteens. Here are two fabulous examples of her work in the small scale. Look at how precise her painting can be, even on a piece that is only about one inch high!

#HN11017 -
A) Mini Canteen
1 ¼” high by 1 ¼”wide
Price: $150
B) Mini Tile
1 ¼” high by 1” wide
Price: $100

    This is a new painted design for Ida. She explained to me that it is called a “storyteller bowl.” It is Homage to her grandmother. She tells of remembering her childhood with her grandma. They were living in the hogan, doing the farming, raising the sheep, walking near the mountains, and living a simple life. This is a “remembrance bowl” created in a traditional style.

#HN6920 - 3 ¼” high by 4 /2” wide
Price: $700

    The night scene, is equally compelling as the Day Dance. Ida comes to see me quite often, with new works, and it is so delightful working with her. She tries so hard to make her painting precise and clear, and actually be able relate a "story". She does a terrific job.

#HN8519 - 3 3/4 " high by 3 1/4" wide
Price: $750