SAN ILDEFONSO, SAN FELIPE, TAOS & WYANDOT

Click on the photograph for an enlarged view.

      A native of Zia Pueblo, Dora moved to San Ildefonso about 30 years ago. She used to watch her mother, Candeleria Gauchupin and her mother-in-law Rose Gonzales as they made their pottery. They were both great influences on her work. In 1969, Dora made her first pot, which someone purchased and entered in the New Mexico State Fair crafts competition. It won a blue ribbon. She has now received over 100 awards for her work. Dora says, "my work is traditional, but I've made a few little innovations." Though her pieces are classic in shape, she sometimes fires them in two colors - and then inlays coral or turquoise stones. To achieve a different texture and play of light, Dora decorates her pots with patterns of micaceous clay, applied as a slip, so that the flecks of mica glitter through even a black surface. "I like a little change, but nothing drastic. I really think that traditional Indian pottery will die out eventually. So many people are taking shortcuts already." Dora still fires outdoors like her ancestors. "My mother taught me that pottery is sacred - the clay comes from Mother Earth. I ask permission to get the clay: I pray when I finish each step in making a pot." Sitting in her kitchen in San Ildefonso and watching her polish these pots with a polishing stone is a mesmerizing experience. She is certainly one of our great masters of pottery today.
      This avanyu bowl could be called “classic Dora!” It is a beautiful black bowl with her expert polishing. The sienna rim adds visual interest. The avanyu is carved on a mica band, and a turquoise stone has been added for the eye. It is lovely shaped bowl – made in 1988 it remains a classic piece!

#SAN192 - 5" high by 5 1/2" wide
Price: $2600

      Erik is the thirty nine year old son of Martha Appleleaf from San Ildefonso. Both he and his mother are included in FOURTEEN FAMILIES IN PUEBLO POTTERY, and the new Greg Schaaf book on the Northern Pueblo families. Erik's grandmother, Carmelita Dunlap (deceased) was a great influence on his work. Erik is a creative and talented potter. He uses all traditional techniques in his pottery making, but creates unique shapes and often uses interesting green slip in his work. He combines traditional feather patterns with his own interpretations of petroglyphs and animal forms. His pots are nicely shaped - and beautifully polished. We were so fortunate to have a one man show for him last December. What a delightful guest!
      This new jar is a classic shaped San Ildefonso water jar with black on black painted images. What is different is that along the neck is matte mica clay, with carved petroglyph symbols as the designs. This is in contrast to the highly polished surface of the jar, but balances so well with the matte painted areas. The feather patterns and geometrics are beautifully painted on this jar.slight green slip in the background, so the avanyu and the geometrics really pop out. It is beautifully coiled and marvelously painted.

#SAN5105 - 7 ¼” high by 6” wide
Price: $900 SOLD

      This is a first for Erik. He is experimenting with a new technique – carving rectangular boxes on a mica band, underneath a green slipped plain polished band on the neck of the jar. The lower body of the jar has his more classic green on black painted feathers and geometrics. It is a lovely composition, and we are pleased when an artist stretches himself, trying new stylistic techniques. This is a lovely San Ildefonso water jar – painted AND carved.

#SAN191 - 9" high by 8" wide
Price: $1300 SOLD

      I am very partial to Erik’s feather and geometric designs, and here he has incorporated them both together. He tried something new that works very well on this bowl. The top portion of the bowl is polished a deep red, but the bottom area is a nice tan tone. There is a nice white slipped band that separated the two tones, and the red small rectangles in this band pull the entire piece together. It is a very pleasing shape.

#SAN1284 - 9" high by 7 1/2" wide
Price: $1200 SOLD

      Erik made this pot with us in mind. We love his fish imagery. This bowl is painted so beautifully. The Mimbres fish and the black on black designs work so well together. The shape is lovely, and the designs flow from top to bottom. It is very nicely fired with a nice sheen.

#SAN1105 - 4 1/2" high by 5" wide
Price: $650

     María's influence on Native American pottery extended well beyond her own productions. Four generations of her descendants have practiced the craft. After Julian Martínez's death in 1943, their son, Popovi Da, began to decorate María's vessels. He created new techniques and finishes for Maria's pots. He helped keep pottery flourishing as an artistic movement. Many collectors favor pottery made by Maria with her son Popovi Da, believing it to be the most desirable pairing of talent. Popovi applied amazing designs to Maria's forms, and was considered to be one of the best ever at firing pueblo pottery. Maria’s influence on Native American pottery extended well beyond her own productions. Four generations of her descendants have practiced the craft. This bowl is a classic example of Maria's pottery from the 1950's. During this time period, her daughter-in-law Santana painted the designs while Maria did the coiling and the polishing. This jar is representative of the bowls Maria made with deep shoulders curving up toward the neck. The designs on the jar area are a combination of narrow feathers and an unusual pattern which can be seen in the second image. This pattern is based on a very early version of the avanyu. It can be seen in the Richard Spivey book on Maria Martinez (p.12). Maria and Julian used this imagery early in their career, but then it was rarely seen after that.
     The firing on this bowl has a wonderful gunmetal appearance. The slate grey tone of the polished area creates a beautiful balance with the matte designs. The bowl is signed on the bottom in the clay "Marie + Santana". It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It would be a wonderful addition to the collector who is interested in a well coiled, well fired, and beautifully painted black on black pot by MARIA.

#SAN193 - 6" wide x 5" high
Price: $4500SOLD

     Marvin Martinez is the great - grandson of internationally renowned potter Maria Martinez. Black-on-black pottery was made famous by Maria Martinez and her husband beginning in the early 1900’s. They invented a special technique that would allow for areas of the pottery to have a matte finish and other areas to be a glossy jet black.
     For more than 15 years, Marvin and his wife, Frances Martinez, have been carrying on the tradition first taught them by their ancestors.
     “I grew up watching my grandparents and my great grandmother Maria doing the pottery. Seeing that really benefited me,” said Marvin. He paints the pottery and Frances does the polishing.
     “My ancestors used a Yucca brush, but I use a liner brush made of fine camel hair so I can get the delicate designs in my pottery,” he said. Marvin said he often incorporates the “Avanyu,” or ancient rain serpent, as well as feathers in his work.
     This elegant small flat bowl is polished all the way around the pot – top to bottom. The floral patterns are beautifully painted with the classic black on black technique.

#SAN9924 - 2 ¼” high by 4” wide
Price: $260 SOLD

     Pauline Martinez was born in 1950. After her marriage to George Martinez, she moved to San Ildefonso. She makes gorgeous black on black pottery. Her work is just exquisite. Her clean painting, lovely designs, and high polish make her work exceptional.
     Here is a small, beautiful feather and geometric vase by Pauline. Her firings are always so well done.

#SAN9714 - 4 1/2" high by 3 1/2" wide
Price: $450

     Pauline is an expert when it comes to polishing and painting. This avanyu bowl is a terrific shape and the design really stands out on the upper portion of the bowl. We are so pleased to have some of her newest, traditional San Ildefonso works.

#SAN194 - 3 1/2" high by 4 1/2" wide
Price: $595

     We often request pots with the old style fish – as it is a wonderful design element and Pauline paints it so well! This is a stunning bowl.

#SAN195 - 3 1/2" high by 4 1/4" wide
Price: $495

          Russell Sanchez was born at the San Ildefonso Pueblo. He has continued to live there all his life. Russell started making pottery at a very young age. If you could see his pots from when he was thirteen or so - you would be able to tell that a great talent was emerging! Russell was greatly influenced by his aunt, Rose Gonzales, and was futher encouraged by Dora Tse Pe. Like Russell, Dora is also a perfectionist. But Russell is really a self-taught potter. His incising, carving, and polishing techniques are all his own - developed and evolving over many years of hard work.  
          His work is widely accepted by serious collectors of some of the finest Native American pottery made today. He often introduces different materials into the clay while styaing within the traditional construction and firing techniques of pueblo pottery. Russell has won numerous awards and honors in juried shows every year since 1978. He has works in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institute, the Millicent Rogers Museum, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (Santa Fe) and the Museum of Natural History (Los Angeles). It is an honor to work closely with Russell, and represent him in our gallery.
          This elegant terraced water jar shows Russell’s unique look at old style San Ildefonso imagery as well as the contemporary adaptations of color and materials. This is a three tone vase – deep red and brown, separated by a beautiful band of black sparkly mica. That same black outlines the terraced opening of the jar. The inside of the neck matches the bottom brown polished quadrant of the piece. Beautiful old San Ildefonso images adorn the upper half of the red polished vase. As you turn the piece toward the “backside” one can see the elaborate cloud formations. The black mica center border is comprised of three strands of superfine Heishi; dark brown olive shell, scattered with light turquoise, a band of solid turquoise Heishi, and a third band of the scattered, These colors compliment the overall tones of the jar, Graceful curves and dots are incised on the brown bottom. This is a creative and unique composition, a truly stunning new creation.

#SAN5102- 6 ¼” high by 5” wide
Price: $5400

         I have been waiting so long to get a bird figure from Russell, and now that it is here, it was so worth the wait. This coiled bird is actually a canteen. It has a hole in the back for pouring water, and the double handles for carrying the vessel. This bird is tan, red, black, and green. The polishing is exceptional, and the detailed incised designs are beautiful. The addition of a stunning, high grade Lone Mountain turquoise stone in the front body looks so cohesive with the added superfine turquoise Heishi that wraps completely around the back of the body. Those bright blue tones set in the polished green area   jump out at you, as a rather bold color combination. The incised feather and plant designs on the body of the bird are very old style San Ildefonso images. There are three more strands of Heishi, two around the center body, and one around the neck. Notice the amount of dots that Russell has incised all over the piece. So much work went into this canteen. It is quite complex! The beak and the eyes are painted with sparkly black mica, and the eyes also have turquoise dots. That accent work looks lovely on the matte tan head of the bird. This is a very unique, creative, one of a kind creation. We are so pleased to have it in the current inventory.

#SAN7101- 7” high by 6” wide
Price: $6200 SOLD

        A new red mini bear….Russell makes these so well, each one a bit different from the others. Coiling a bear this size, and being able to incise, embed Heishi, and polish is so difficult. Many people think that because it is small, it is easy – NOT SO! What a challenge to get it right! This mini bear is red polished with three strands of superfine Heishi on the back, two incised designs, and his trademark dots. The eyes are dotted with turquoise as well. It is a beauty!

#SAN7102- 1 ½” high by 2 ¼” wide
Price: $1400 SOLD

          Russell sure knows how to make a canteen with flair! This is the first one he has made with an asymmetric angled top. Beautifully polished to a deep black, the opening here is a subtle, olive green, which blends in with the greenish tone of the high grade rare Lone Mountain turquoise stone. We learned from one of our jewelers, that you never know when you re going to find this green tone in a lone Mountain cabochon; it almost comes out of the mine like a “surprise” Cutting en cabochon is usually applied to opaque gems. So Russell has been saving it for the right piece – and here it is!
     A curved silver leaf band runs all the way around the canteen, and it has been imbedded with scattered dark brown Heishi shell and turquoise. The turquoise compliments the single stone so nicely. Look closely to see the green slipped area that shadows the central stone. Delicately incised San Ildefonso patterns are created below the silver work. There is a lot of work happening on this one canteen! Russell’s trademark dots are set above the Heishi bordered silver curves. A traditional, natural hide is tied to the cornstalk stopper.

#SAN5104- 4 ½” high by 4” wide
Price: $2600 SOLD

          Oh boy - here is one of those pieces that you take out of the box when it arrives and say aloud.”This is GREAT!” It is SO unique, SO original, and SO completely Russell! Creatively coiled with a contemporary asymmetric opening, the story of the cranes and the river emerges. Slipped and polished with his special green tones, the cranes, with outstretched necks are almost speaking to each other. Look at all the detail work with the flowers and branches behind them; they are resting atop a black mica river. This river is formed in a more geometric, angled pattern. The river is outlined with imbedded superfine Heishi shell and turquoise. Below it is a beautiful, deep, red polished bottom with deconstructed leaves floating around, adding more movement to the jar. It is a wonderful, complete piece just created by Russell.

#SAN5103- 5 ½” high by 5” wide
Price: $5600 SOLD

          This new bowl is different from any we have had. Beautifully coiled to a round shape, and polished to a high sheen, it is very elegant. The central medallion has a unique old style mountain lion with its head turned back, and its tail arched up above the back. It is polished to a chocolate brown tone with a hinit of olive. Three strands of natural off white shell scattered with turquoise Heishi surround the medallion. Two black mica bands separate the Heishi for added visual interest. On both sides of the medallion, Russell has incised lovely, old style San Ildefonso plant designs. The entire backside of the pot is highly polished to a deep red tone. This bowl shows such a nice combination of colors and varied designs.

#SAN2102 - 4” high by 4” wide
Price: $3800 SOLD

Daryl Candelaria is a relatively new potter on the Rio Grande scene. Already, he is an award winning artist, having won a first in class and a first in division at the 1999 Indian Market; He also has won a first place at the Eight Northern Pueblos show. Daryl worked at the School of American Research in Santa Fe. where he studied SAR’s collection of contemporary and historic pottery. He became very fascinated by shards from prehistoric pottery. He uses these patterns in his "sampler" style jars. Daryl has taken a four year hiatus from pottery making while working at the San Felipe Village. He has decided to go back to school, and make pottery making his livelihood. We are so pleased to represent him again, as we find him to be a unique talent.
     This shard pot is marvelous. It is a very nice, full and wide shaped vessel. There are twenty two shards on this piece- depicting samples from Cochiti, San Ildefonso, Kiva Mural, Hopi, Acoma, Zia, Taos, Kayenta, Zuni, Hohokam, Tesuque, Santa Clara , Mimbres, Santo Domingo, Pecos, Anasazi, and Laguna.  This patchwork of shards is so unique to Daryl; we are thrilled that he is back making these interesting pots for our gallery. 

#SAN12718 - 7 " high by 10 1/2 " wide
Price: $2000 SOLD

      I am particularly pleased about this new piece, as it is the first one like it that Daryl has ever made. Many months ago we were talking about form and shape, and I suggested that he try the unique carved shard designs into a flat plate or platter. He had not considered this form before, but thought it would be a terrific challenge. He wanted to make the plate thin, but still have enough clay available to do the carving of the shards. I must say, his efforts are terrific, as the end results are visually stunning. This round plate is a wonderful effort.

#SAN12710 - 10" high by 7" wide
Price: $2000

     Hubert Candelario was born on November 2, 1965. Historically, San Felipe was never active as a pottery center. The San Felipe residents obtained their pottery in trade from neighbors, most often from the Zia pueblo. Hubert began making pottery at the age of nineteen. He graduated from the Phoenix Institute of Technology with an associate's degree in architectural design and drafting.
    His first love was, and still is, the micaceous clay found at Nambe and Picuris. It is with this clay that he now slips his dramatic "swirl” and “holey” pots. For the bodies of his pots he uses local red clay. He then completes the design with a slip of micaceous clay to help create this fabulous color and texture. His pots are totally hand made. The mica radiates and glistens and the end results are so eye catching. Hubert has won numerous awards. His work was prominently displayed at the “Changing Hands" exhibit and catalog from the American Craft Museum in New York City. We are so pleased to have sold one of his large swirl melon jars to the Denver Art Museum for their permanent collection.
    This sculpted clay form by Hubert has over 50 carved circles.  Made in 2004, Hubert told me it is a different shape for him – based on a pear – he calls it his “pear holey pot.” He hasn’t made very many in this shape. It is absolutely stunning. A larger version of the “holey” pot has a prominent place in the permanent collection at the Denver Art Museum. A fabulous poster was created with a photograph of the piece. So time consuming, and difficult to make without breaking, we are always thrilled when one of these pieces reaches our gallery.

#SAN41010 - 4 1/2" high by 4" wide
Price: $2100

     This is the very first HEXAGON shaped vessel we have had coiled from Hubert. It is absolutely amazing. The precision of his cut outs are a bit mind boggling. Look at how even he gets the lines, without having it collapse in the firing. Eye dazzling from any angle ! We are so excited by his careful craftsmanship.

#SAN51020 - 5 1/4" high by 5 1/4" wide
Price: $3200

     When Hubert does what we refer to as a “tight swirl” the end result is pure elegance. The ribs are expertly coiled and edged, so the micaceous clay actually glistens. This is a marvelous example of Hubert’s fine artistry.

#SAN71016 - 3 1/2" high by 4 1/2" wide
Price: $2000

     Myrtle Cata is a member of the Turquoise Clan, who was born in 1953. She is part San Felipe and part San Juan Pueblo. She has been hand coiling pottery since 1979. She attended many art classes to learn the art of working with clay. While going to school, she developed a friendship with Tina Garcia from the Santa Clara Pueblo. They shared special techniques and learned each other’s methods of working with clay.
      Myrtle specializes in contemporary hand coiled micaceous San Juan style pottery. Her pottery style is simple in appearance. It is thin walled, graceful, and undecorated. She gathers her clay from within the San Juan Pueblo. Then, she cleans, mixes, hand coils, shapes, and fires her pottery, outdoors. She signs her pottery as: Myrtle Cata, San Juan Pueblo.
      This vase is a particularly pleasing shape. The gently indented and curved ribs on the neck give this water jar a beautiful form.

#SC12722 - 8 1/4" high by 7" wide
Price: $500

     Angie was born on June 16, 1965 in Taos, New Mexico. She is a member of the Taos Pueblo Tribe and has lived in Taos all her life. Her mother, Mary Archuleta, is of Taos Pueblo and her father, Nick Yazzie, was a Navajo from Ganado, Arizona.
Primarily a self-taught potter, she was introduced at an early age to traditional pottery techniques by her mother and maternal grandmother, Isabel C. Archuleta. As a child, Angie was fortunate to live a few years with her maternal grandparents and was exposed to many different types of crafts through the shop the owned a Taos Pueblo.
     Micaceous pottery gleams with a special shine due to the mica which naturally occurs in the clay. It helps hold liquids when vessels are used for cooking or storing. The pots are constructed with hand-rolled coils which are then smoothed and sanded. No potter’s wheel is used. Firing is done in an outside pit with dry cedar or wood bark. Each piece has its own unique design of fire clouds from the firing. Angie's work is recognized for the thinness of the walls and the variety of shapes. Her work has been exhibited at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe, the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos, the Permanent Collection at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe and the Cincinnati Museum in Ohio.
     In November, 1994 Angie was invited, along with nine other potters considered to be Micaceous masters, to a convocation at the School of American Research. The results of the convocation led to a book entitled "All That Glitters" and eventually an annual micaceous show.
      Here we have another nice vase from Angie. Straight necked and nice in form, with her trademark egg shell thin walls, Angie produces some of the nicest micaceous pottery available today.

#SC12313 - 9" high by 7" wide
Price: $750

     We are so happy to be working with Jamie. He participated in the miniature show, and his work was fantastic. So now he will be a regular with our gallery.      Jamie is an immensely talented young potter, who is also a particularly thoughtful and interesting person. I asked him to put into his own words a bit of a biography. Here is Jamie’s statement:

     I have a strong commitment to building Wyandot pottery. Of most importance to me is retaining an integral sense of form inspired by ancient sensibilities. While my drive is to create new work that speaks to today’s world, my material comes from ancient sources. The ancient aesthetic that has stood the test of time still has the power to awe when beheld by the contemporary eye. I look back to my indigenous roots to guide me in learning values. Looking back to find out how to best live today causes me to look deeper into who I am. I realize that it is important to look back to a time when humans remembered that they where a part of the earth and there was no dualism between people and nature. When I make objects inspired by Great White Pine I feel like I am participating in the flow of nature. Arboreal ancestors are very old and their beauty is what sustains them on this earth. The form that nature makes is a prayer language of glory to the Creator.
     For my personal story, I have had the privilege of growing up watching my uncle, Richard Zane Smith creating his own form of Wyandot pottery. What has remained with me is his desire to retain a quality of form and surface design that is thorough and precise. The perfection that he achieves is not gloss on the surface, rather a spiritually honest, human touched sensibility. I have recently had the opportunity to live in Wyandotte, Oklahoma and study with him for a year. I have learned very much from the experience and have become committed to honing my own style of sculptural vessel form.
     I grew up in the city and since then have spent a lot of time traveling this continent and others. I have become convinced that the rural life is the one for me. I feel that to live lightly and simply on this earth is the way that I can best live out the Creator’s intent for myself. Right now my wife and I, and our two daughters live in an old two-room schoolhouse that my wife’s grandparents attended when they were young. It is in the Ozark mountains of Missouri. We live in a small valley at the point where two creeks meet. It is a beautiful place to live. I am constantly inspired by the ever-changing wooded landscape around me.
     I want to thank all of the individuals who have supported and encouraged me and my family as I have put my time and energy into learning new pottery techniques and new ways of further developing Wyandot pottery.

     This new hand coiled form is called “GERMINATION” Everything about it is stunning. The exposed coils vividly show the textured patterns in the lower portion of the form. The top of the piece is magnificently sculpted into a floral pattern. The ridges on the matte surface actually look like leather, but in fact, is all clay. Jamie’s use of colors here is soft and muted. He found a fantastic piece of wood to use as the base. Interestingly, whatever

#SAN2103 - 7 1/2" high by 10 1/2" wide
Price: $1800 SOLD

     Born in 1955 in Augusta Georgia, Richard Zane Smith is regarded as one of the most unique contemporary potters. Richard Zane Smith is a potter of Wyandot whose remarkable pots consist of small hand rolled coils of natural clays, which inspired by prehistoric corrugated pottery of the Southwest which then is slip painted. His pieces look like beautifully woven baskets – but when one looks closely, you realize that they are actually works of clay, in Richard’s own unique style of corrugation. Richard was inspired by corrugated shards from hundreds of years ago. His work is easily identifiable, as he often adds contemporary intricate designs using fascinating color combinations and added materials like stone and wood.
     Here are a few words from Richard as he explains his interest in the art form. “My art education began as a child at home in Missouri. In the evenings all five of us kids would gather round listening and drawing quietly while Dad or Mom would read wonderful books to us. Clay excited me from high school and all through my art school years though I enjoyed working with all kinds of natural materials, from leather to stone to wood. During these years, investigating my own native (Wyandot) roots became something of an obsession with me. In 1978, I worked as an art instructor at a Navajo mission school in Arizona. It was there that I was first exposed to native clays, and Anasazi pot sherds. Having a rich yet mixed-blooded heritage has been difficult for me at times to sort things out and it still provides its challenges. But I am actively involved with other Wendat/Wyandots who are restoring traditions and reviving our language. I have a dream to help restore to our people the pottery traditions of our ancestors as has happened among the Pueblo peoples of the Southwest.”
     This new bowl is a wonderfully creative piece by Richard. The colors are fantastic, with blue and orange, red, grey and purple hues. Set off by the black lip, the whole piece has a very contemporary feel. The strong linear intersecting geometrics give it a 3 Dimensional feel. It is hand coiled, corrugated, and painted. It is unique and quite BOLD- a great piece of art. We are so fortunate to work with Richard. Last week, we had the opportunity to have him demonstrate his coiling techniques with us in New York City, and I can tell you – to watch it in person is completely mesmerizing.

#SAN51010 - 6” high by 9 ½” wide
Price: $3800 SOLD