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.
     Dora is so well known for her simple elegance. This vase is a perfect example of that work. It is a deep black polished vase, with a beautiful sienna toned rim. The classic avanyu (water serpent) is carved with a mica finish. A beautiful turquoise stone adorns the eye of the serpent. The contrast between the colored stone, the rich, deep black, and the sienna is quite dramatic.

#SAN789 - 4" high by 3 1/2" wide
Price: $1800

      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 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

      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

      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

      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 two tone vase – deep red and brown. There is a story he tells here having to do with clouds, rain, fertilization and sustenance. There is a color scheme present as well. Notice the eight green toned turquoise stones that blend in with the greenish toned superfine Heishi, Each one of those stones are embedded inside an old style San Ildefonso plant image. There is a copper band that is bordered by the Heishi that is beautiful. When you turn the jar around you can see the classic old polychrome style bird incisings. Rain is falling, the corn is growing, and sustenance is abundant. Notice how Russell has polished inside the neck of the jar. That red matches the same red tones on the bottom quadrant of the jar. It is such a pleasure to work with someone who strives to grow, change, and continue to challenge himself with new design elements. This is a magnificent piece.

#SAN1291- 10 1/2" high by 9 1/2" wide
Price: $18,000 SOLD

     Needless to say, this collaborative effort turned out to be simply stunning. The jar itself was made by Russell (who said he had to make it a bit thicker than usual, to accommodate the deeply carved ribs). The rim and base were both carved by Nancy. Note the rim has 32 rounded ribs and the base 16 deeply carved larger “S” swirl ribs. They are perfectly polished and an elegant balance to the form. Notice that the base is narrow for the size and shape of the piece! The neck was polished and incised by Russell. The design is an old style plant pattern inspired by the historic polychrome form. The arches between the plants are meant to represent the clouds. Below the neck are two bands of Heishi beads made by Mary and Joe Calabaza from the Santo Domingo Pueblo. The balance of color in the Heishi in contrast to the highly polished surface is elegant. Nancy fired the jar and it has a phenomenal shine with that glassy “water-like” appearance which is so beautiful on both Nancy and Russell’s pottery. One of a kind, totally unique, it is a gorgeous showing of both of their work.

#SAN991 - 7 ½" high by 6” wide
SOLDLD

          This round bowl is quite wonderful. The central medallion, showcasing Russell’s special green slip work, features a deer with a turned head. The deer is surrounded by his incised dots. That medallion is bordered by two circles of superfine olive shell Heishi. Between the Heishi is a circle of silver, as an accent. What is interesting here, is that the entire medallion is centered in the middle of the body of a mountain lion, The head on the left, and the tail on the right. It is a great design. There are old style San Ildefonso cloud and rain formations incised and textured around the opening of the bowl – you can actually see the rain falling. The polishing is terrific, so the whole piece shines.

#SAN993 - 3” high by 3 ¾”wide
Price: $2400 SOLD

     Magnificent … Subtle… Complex…Innovative…- all these words could describe this new bear lidded bowl by Russell. Soft and muted, the subtle green on the upper quadrant of the pot seamlessly blends together. Russell’s traditional avanyu is placed just perfectly on the top portion of the pot. This panel is separated by three strands of Superfine Heishi before the gorgeous paisley pattern begins. Sometimes pots can be overdone, but Russell has a way of designing the pots to be complex and refined at the same time. Notice how the bear gently turns his head, and the bottom of that lid has a matching paisley design on it. It is a magnificent example of his work.

#SAN1083 - 7” high by 6 ” wide
Price: $6800

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

      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 SOLD

     As described above, this is the “rounder” shaped plate, and it too is terrific.

#SAN1289 - 9 1/2" high by 9 1/2" wide
Price: $650 SOLD

     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.  Hubert told me it is a new shape for him – based on a pear – he calls it his “pear 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.

#SAN9818 - 4 1/2" high by 4" wide
Price: $2400

     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.

#SAN7814 - 5” by 5”
Price: $2400 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

     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 green and purple hues. It is hand coiled, corrugated and painted. As to the meaning and significance of the design – here is Richard’s explanation: “I have been working on themes of a new beginning and springtime. This particular piece was made interspersed with walks in the woods to hunt Morel mushrooms and watch all the new green growth coming out amidst all the fallen leaves of the past year. The new bright growth I see now will in time itself become the brown curly, layer of mulch to feed the future...but for now... it is bright life pulsing forth! Spring always returns, and the circle continues." It is unique and cheerful and a great piece of art. We are so fortunate to work with Richard.

#SAN593 - 6 1/2" high by 8" wide
Price: $4500 SOLD