SAN ILDEFONSO, SAN FELIPE & TAOS

Click on the photograph for an enlarged view.

     Martha Appleleaf, now in her fifties, is the daughter of the well-known potter, Carmelita Dunlap (deceased) and Nicholas Cata. Her son is Erik Sunbird Fender. Martha is known for her traditional San Ildefonso designs - the avanyu (serpent) and the feather patterns. Like Erik, she often uses a light green slip to enhance the beauty of those designs. More recently, she has used mica in her clay with red and cream designs. She recalls watching her aunt, the famous Maria Martinez make pottery when she was just a child. She says that her pottery making was influenced by Maria, as well as her aunt, Desidera Montoya Sanchez, (deceased) her stepfather, Carlos Dunlap (deceased), and her uncle Tse Pe (deceased). Martha has won numerous awards over the past years for her skills in pottery.  What a treat for us to continue to enjoy the traditional San Ildefonso black on black work by Martha Appleleaf. This is what we refer to as "pristine." The shape of this jar is gentle and so well proportioned. The painting is clean and crisp – feathers, old style symbols, and other geometrics. The firing and painting are great, resulting in a deep, black coloring.

#SAN9713 - 10" high by 8 1/2" wide
Price: $1600 SOLD

      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.
     Dora is so well known for her simple elegance. This pot, made in 1993, is a perfect example of that work. It is a deep black polished vase, with an asymmetrical opening, with the burnt sienna torched area surrounding the multi colored stone. The contrast between the colored stone, the rich, deep black, and the sienna is quite dramatic.

#SAN8410 - 4" high by 4" wide
Price: $1900 SOLD

      Erik is the thirty four 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 bowl is almost egg shaped – with a fantastic steely grey firing. Erik has used a slight green slip in the background, so the avanyu and the geometrics really pop out. It is beautifully coiled and marvelously painted.

#SAN9712 - 6 1/2" high by 5 1/2" wide
Price: $800

      Marvin Martinez was born into the internationally recognized family of Maria Martinez, the famous potter from San Ildefonso. Marvin is married to Frances Martinez. For the past 15 years, Marvin and Frances have been creating traditional San Ildefonso Black-on-Black pottery.
      Frances does the polishing of the pots. She states, "Polishing is a very delicate process. It requires a high amount of dedication, time, and patience. My parents told me to always keep trying to achieve the fine burnishing technique. I polish each pot to its outcome." After the polishing is complete, Marvin does the painting. He often paints the Avanyu, and the feather pattern. Marvin says, "I have memories of helping my grandparents, Adam and Santana get supplies for the firing of the pottery. I remember them making and firing the pottery. Now my children also get to experience the tradition and to also continue this tradition which is a blessing."
      This is a shape that Marvin enjoys making. He refers to it as a flat avanyu/ feather bowl. The painting is so crisp, and the polishing is very well done. We are so pleased to have some more traditional San Ildefonso work to add to our gallery.

#SAN1712 - 2" high by 5" wide
Price: $420 SOLD

     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.
     After Popovi died in 1971, Laura Gilpin wrote in a memorial statement -- "He was a sensitive, able craftsman, and a person of great dignity, courtesy, and charm. His range of friends was enormous, not only among the Indian people of many tribes, but other peoples from many lands."
      This is a lovely plain polished bowl by Maria Martinez (deceased) and her son, Popovi Da (deceased). It is signed Maria / Popovi 968, which tells us it was made in September of 1968. It is in excellent condition with no damage or repairs. Maria Martinez began a pottery tradition that lives on today. Many people believe the very pinnacle of her career was the period when she collaborated with Popovi Da from 1956 to his death in 1971.

#SAN10714 - 2 1/2" high by 3 3/4 " wide
Price: $2900 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

     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 new bear lidded avanyu jar is gorgeous. Russell takes the classic San Ildefonso water serpent motif, and adds stones and Heishi with sienna tones to make it into a perfect bowl. As someone said to me who saw it, “the lid alone is a perfect creation!” He has imbedded the highest grade Lone mountain turquoise into the lid, as well as all around the body of the piece. The polishing on this vase is glass like while the firing is a soft gun metal like grey/black tone. The placement of the Lone Mountain stones adds just the right amount of contrast to the deep black he has achieved on the jar. The highly polished avanyu is separated by two matte bands, each one outlined by three strands of super fine Heishi. Notice how the sienna tones around the serpent blend with the same tones on the bear lid. This is great piece, with a simple, beautiful design.

#SAN381 - 7 1/2" high by 6" wide
Price: $8200 SOLD

     This bowl is three sided, each one comprising of a medallion with an old style Mimbres bird design. Each bird is in a different position, with individual details. The background is a deep black, and each medallion is slipped with deep red. Those areas are surrounded by beautiful light blue turquoise Heishi. The color scheme is lovely. Russell’s trademark dots surround each circle. This is a beautiful, smaller example of his unique work.

#SAN1272 - 3" high by 3" wide
Price: $2600 SOLD

     The bear in Native American culture is so powerful and full of strength, and Russell's hand coiled bears are each unique in their own way. This one is wonderful because of the coloring. Keeping the body polished black, the added deep sienna tone is stunning. There is an incised heart line on both sides, adding an extra visual detail. Adding six strands of beautiful turquoise and shell Heishi, this line of adornment separates the colors on his back. The turquoise eyes, work well with the turquoise pack. Notice the beautiful old San Ildefonso pattern incised on the top of the bear. It is so well polished and finished, that the whole bear just blends together. What a great addition to anybody's collection of works by Russell Sanchez!

#SAN382 - 3" high by 4" wide
Price: $3200 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.
     When Daryl delivered these pots to me, I asked if he could give me some type of explanation of each of the shards that he has used in the piece. He actually took the pots back home, and then thoughtfully diagrammed each pot – making reference to the origin of every shard he created. In these particular jars he represents shards from all from all of these prehistoric references—Anasazi, Hohokam, pinch pots, Kayenta, Mimbres, etc., and even kiva murals from Pottery Mound, NM. Those details are available to the collector.

#SAN12720 - 10 1/2" high by 10" wide
Price: $2500 SOLD

     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

     Daryl wanted to make what he calls a large and wide canister. It is quite pleasing, as it looks like a very full size, well formed shape. The shards are so nicely carved, as her continues to make beautiful and unique pottery.

#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 new jar by Hubert has 72 carved circles.  Hubert told me it is a new shape for him – based on a Hopi Sikyatki shaped bowl – he calls it his “Hopi holey pot.”  It is absolutely stunning. A larger version of the “holey” pot has a prominent place in the new Virginia Mattern 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!

#SAN188 - 5 1/2" high by 8" wide
Price: $4200 SOLD

     Hubert and I are so excited about this piece. For several weeks we have been discussing the “holey pots” and trying to come up with new ideas for shapes and forms. This is the end result; a cylinder! A marvelously sculpted mica clay sculpture, this form lends itself so well to the use of negative space. It has over 100 holes! I applaud Hubert in his efforts to design new shapes. It really works well!!

#SAN383 - 8 1/2" high by 4 1/2" wide
Price: $4200 SOLD

     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