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Santa Clara Pueblo Native American Pottery

SANTA CLARA PUEBLO INFORMATION  (Provided by IPCC.org)

Black pottery from the Santa Clara Pueblo is among the most well-known in the entire world. Maria Martinez of San Ildefonso Pueblo is arguably the most well known Potter ever to live. She became famous for the black pottery tradition that is now carried on by artists of the Santa Clara Pueblo. Santa Clara Pueblo pottery has become the most collectible Native American pottery. This incredible art form begins with natural  red clays gathered from the pueblos and surrounding hills. The clay undergoes many preparations before it is finally molded into the finished product. The artist generally rolls the clay into long thin rolls, then begins to "build" the piece by layering these rolls one on top of the other. This hand coiled method includes smoothing the coils by hand to the pottery's final shape. The artist then begins the arduous task of polishing the piece. This is accomplished by rubbing a smooth "polishing" stone over the piece over and over until the red clay shines. Finally, the piece is fired in an "oxygen reduction" firing process. During the firing, the artist smothers the fire with horse manure. The manure traps a thick, carbon rich smoke all around the piece. The carbon contained in the smoke fuses itself into the clay, turning it black. This black color can never be removed or washed off. The entire process is fraught with problems as about 3 of every 5 pieces actually emerge from the fire without damage. Given the rarity of this pottery, artists often view the clay as a living entity. A finished piece is often revered as a gift from what pueblo potters often respectfully refer to as the "Clay Mother". The end result is a stunning piece of Native American pottery work of art.

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TURQUOISE POTTERY

by Sam Pacheco and Birdell Bourdon

This incredible piece was hand coiled by Santa Clara artist Birdell Bourdon, then inlaid with bright blue Turquoise by Sam Pacheco of Santo Domingo.

4 1/4" Tall, 5" Wide

Suggested Retail $796.00 / Your Price: $597.00

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SANTA CLARA RED POTTERY FIGURE

Gary Gutierrez

Gary is the son of Dorothy and Paul Gutierrez who are well known for their small, black storytellers. His work is a blend of the traditional and the contemporary and stands well as contemporary Native American art. He has won first and second place at Indian Market on several occasions as well as Best of Division in figurative pottery. He has been published in Gregory Schaaf's Southern Pueblo Pottery; Rick Dillingham's Fourteen Pueblo Families; Lillian Peaster's Pueblo Pottery Families; Storytellers and Other Figurative Pottery by Douglas Congdon-Martin;and Southwest Pottery: Anasazi to Zuni by Hayes and Blom. His work continues to gain in recognition and popularity.

This amazing piece features extremely smooth matte surfaces accented by a light micaceous slip and polished areas. It is signed Gary Gutierrez, Santa Clara.

Size: 4" Tall, 3 1/4" wide, 4 1/2" deep

Suggested Retail $380.00 / Your Price: $285.00

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SANTA CLARA BLACK POTTERY FIGURE

Gary Gutierrez

Gary is the son of Dorothy and Paul Gutierrez who are well known for their small, black storytellers. His work is a blend of the traditional and the contemporary and stands well as contemporary Native American art. He has won first and second place at Indian Market on several occasions as well as Best of Division in figurative pottery. He has been published in Gregory Schaaf's Southern Pueblo Pottery; Rick Dillingham's Fourteen Pueblo Families; Lillian Peaster's Pueblo Pottery Families; Storytellers and Other Figurative Pottery by Douglas Congdon-Martin;and Southwest Pottery: Anasazi to Zuni by Hayes and Blom. His work continues to gain in recognition and popularity.

This amazing piece features extremely smooth matte surfaces accented by a light micaceous slip and polished areas. It is signed Gary Gutierrez, Santa Clara.

Size: 3" Tall, 3 3/4" wide, 6" long

Suggested Retail $380.00 / Your Price: SOLD

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Santa Clara Black Pottery

by Marvin and Delores Moquino

Marvin Moquino was born in 1966 and Delores Moquino was born in 1967. They have been making pottery together since 1985. They are members of the Coyote/Corn Clans. Both were taught by Marvin's dad Corn Moquino. They specialize in traditional, deep carved bowls and sgrafitto etching. They gather their materials from the Santa Clara Reservation and fire their pottery outdoors.  Their work is very high quality.  Both are featured in several books and are passing their talent on to their children Auienita Moquino & Jonathan Moquino. They have won awards at Eight Northern Pueblos Arts & Crafts Show.

This Piece Is Signed Marvin -n- Delores Moquino SCP.

Size:  4 1/2" Tall, 5 1/4" at widest point

Suggested Retail $532.00 / Your Price: $399.00

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SANTA CLARA BLACK POTTERY

by Glenda Naranjo

Glenda Naranjo, “Cloth Stick Flower”, is a full blooded Native American Indian. She was born in 1953 into the Santa Clara-Tewa Pueblo. Glenda was inspired to continue the long lived tradition of hand coiling pottery from her late mother, Flora Naranjo. Flora taught Glenda all the fundamentals of working with clay and using ancient methods to construct her pottery. Glenda has been working with clay since the age of 10.

Glenda specializes in hand coiling traditional black on black and red Santa Clara pottery. She gathers her clay from the grounds within the Santa Clara Pueblo. Glenda soaks the clay, grinds it to a sandy grain, hand mixes, hand coils, hand shapes, hand carves, and fires her finished product the traditional way, outdoors with horse dung. Her patterns include the Water Serpent and Feather diagrams. She hand coils a wide variety of sizes and shapes of traditional pottery. Glenda enjoys working with clay and feels that in doing so, she proudly adds to the art world and continues the long lived legacy of her people. She is also currently teaching her immediate family to construct the beautiful pottery that her Pueblo is famous for making. She signs her pottery as: Glenda Naranjo, SCP.

5 3/4" Tall, 5 3/8" at widest point

Suggested Retail $335.00 / Your Price: $255.00

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SANTA CLARA POTTERY SEED POT

by Alfred Salazar

Alfred started potting at the age of 16 alongside his mother. All of his pots are made in the traditional methods and fired outdoors. His stone polishing is some of the best we have ever seen.

This lovely piece features Alfred's very popular lizard design. It is signed Alfred Salazar, Santa Clara.

Size: 2 3/8" Tall, 2 1/2" at widest point

Suggested Retail $220.00 / Your Price: $185.00

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SANTA CLARA POTTERY

by Camille Moquino

Size: 4 1/4" Tall, 4 3/4" at widest point

Suggested Retail $264.00 / Your Price: $198.00

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SANTA CLARA POTTERY

by Gwen Tafoya

Gwen Tafoya was born in 1965 into the Santa Clara Pueblo-Tewa. She began experimenting with pottery making at the age of 6. She started out hand coiling small bowls and pots, using traditional methods. Gwen began making larger pieces of pottery by the time she reached the age of 16, and eventually would etch on the pottery steadily. Gwen was inspired to make pottery by her mother, Mary Agnes Tafoya.

She taught Gwen all the fundamentals of hand coiling traditional Santa Clara Pottery.

 

Gwen specializes in hand coiling the traditional Santa Clara pottery, carved and etched by her. She gathers her natural pigments from within the hills of the Santa Clara Pueblo. Gwen cleans, mixes, hand coils, shapes, polishes, and fires her pottery, outdoors with horse manure. She especially likes to make seed pots because she has more room to etch her favorite designs of hummingbirds or flowers on the top of the pottery. Gwen also has a special part in her heart for the wedding vase because of its meaning. Gwen signs her pottery as “Gwen Tafoya SCP”.

Size: 4 1/2" Tall, 5 1/4" at widest point

Suggested Retail $495.00 / Your Price: $375.00

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SANTA CLARA TWO TONE POTTERY

by Forrest Naranjo

Forrest Naranjo was born in 1963 into the Santa Clara Pueblo. He was economically motivated to learn the art of pottery making. He began making pottery back in 1986 at the age of 23. He also was inspired to hand coil pottery by his creativity.

Forrest specializes in the handmade Sienna style or technique, which the Naranjo family is known for today. The Sienna firing is a color in between that of the traditional black or red, which was started back in the 1960’s and 1970’s. It is now referred to as the Staple style from the Santa Clara Pueblo. Forrest mixes, hand coils, shapes, etches, and fires his pottery the traditional way, outdoors. His etching will include animals, feathers, and many different creative designs which he imagines. He also shapes his clay into bear sculptures, which he is well known for and enjoys making. He signs his pottery as: Forrest. Forrest is related to Bernice Naranjo (mother) and Dusty Naranjo

3" Tall, 3 1/4" Wide

Suggested Retail $397.00 / Your Price: $298.00

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SANTA CLARA BLACK POTTERY

by Vickie Martinez

Vickie Martinez “Koe-Sawe”, Buffalo Steps, was born into the Pueblo of Santa Clara-Tewa in 1967. Vickie was inspired to continue the long lived tradition of her ancestors of working with clay from her Mother, Barbara Martinez. She has been making pottery since 1983, when she was 15 years old.

Vickie specializes in the traditional handmade black and red Santa Clara pottery. She gathers her own natural clay from the hills within the Santa Clara Pueblo.

Vickie cleans, mixes, hand coils, shapes, carves, fires, and then polishes her pottery the traditional way. Vickie was quoted as saying: “I find carving a very challenging and rewarding experience, which I am enjoying thoroughly.”

Like all good Santa Clara pottery, the high gloss on this pot was achieved by polishing the surface with a smooth stone...a very tedious process. Three and sometimes as many as five layers of slip are applied to the smooth dried work, allowing time between coats to dry, and then followed by a lubricating coat of animal fat. The fat serves two purposes: it allows the stone to slide smoothly over the surface and it keeps the slip damp. Polishing stones are highly treasured and usually passed on to descendants.

This large piece features the classic Avanyu water serpent design with wave patterns above it. Vickie signs her pottery as: Vickie Martinez Tafoya, Santa Clara Pueblo.

 Size: 9 3/4" Tall, 10 1/4" at widest point

Suggested Retail $1500.00 / Your Price: $1195.00

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SANTA CLARA BLACK POTTERY

by Madeline Naranjo

Madeline E. Naranjo was born in 1971 as a member of the Santa Clara-Tewa Pueblo. She was taught the fundamentals of hand coiling traditional pottery using the methods of their ancient ancestors. She and her husband, Adrian Garcia, were also influenced by many of their family members to continue a long lived family tradition. Julie Gutierrez also had a big impact on their decision to become artisans. Madeline & Adrian have been working together as a team since 1989. They specialize in hand coiling traditional Santa Clara pottery but add their unique contemporary flare. They gather their clay from within the grounds of the Santa Clara Pueblo. They clean, mix, hand coil, shape, etch, polish, and fire their pottery, outdoors with horse manure. The designs they choose to create are those of nature scenes, because of the respect and the love they both have for the planet and all that it has to offer.

This beautiful piece is deeply carved with butterfly and flower designs. It is signed Madeline E. Naranjo.

 Size: 2 3/4" Tall, 3" at widest point

Suggested Retail $450.00 / Your Price: $340.00

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SANTA CLARA BLACK POTTERY

by Rosemary & Travis Lewis

Size: 5" Tall, 6" at widest point

Suggested Retail $455.00 / Your Price: $345.00

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SANTA CLARA TWO TONE POTTERY

by Dusty Naranjo

Like her brother, Forrest Naranjo, Dusty was not raised in a strictly pueblo environment. Her father, Tito Naranjo, was a university professor and this less traditional upbringing probably accounts for the contemporary styles of Dusty's pottery. In fact, Dusty did not even pursue pottery until a little later in life. She first graduated with a BA in psychology from NM Highlands University and recently obtained her Master's Degree in Art Therapy. However, having been exposed to pottery making throughout her life -- both her parents pot and her father's siblings are Jody Folwell, Nora Naranjo- Morse and Dolly Naranjo -- it was perhaps inevitable that Dusty give it a try. When she did begin potting she discovered that is was a wonderful creative process. Using only traditional techniques, Dusty is now a well known potter having progressed far in a short period of time.

This beautiful piece features intricate geometric designs and is signed Dusty.

Size: 4" Tall, 3 1/2" at widest point

Suggested Retail $595.00 / Your Price: $498.00

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SANTA CLARA POTTERY

by Gwen Tafoya

Gwen Tafoya was born in 1965 into the Santa Clara Pueblo-Tewa. She began experimenting with pottery making at the age of 6. She started out hand coiling small bowls and pots, using traditional methods. Gwen began making larger pieces of pottery by the time she reached the age of 16, and eventually would etch on the pottery steadily. Gwen was inspired to make pottery by her mother, Mary Agnes Tafoya.

She taught Gwen all the fundamentals of hand coiling traditional Santa Clara Pottery.

 

Gwen specializes in hand coiling the traditional Santa Clara pottery, carved and etched by her. She gathers her natural pigments from within the hills of the Santa Clara Pueblo. Gwen cleans, mixes, hand coils, shapes, polishes, and fires her pottery, outdoors with horse manure. She especially likes to make seed pots because she has more room to etch her favorite designs of hummingbirds or flowers on the top of the pottery. Gwen also has a special part in her heart for the wedding vase because of its meaning. Gwen signs her pottery as “Gwen Tafoya SCP”.

7 3/8" Tall, 3 3/4" Wide

Suggested Retail $475.00 / Your Price: $390.00

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SANTA CLARA POTTERY

  by Lois Gutierrez de la Cruz

Lois is an award winning artist from the Santa Clara Pueblo. Working with her husband, Derek de la Cruz, she has helped to revive the polychrome style of decoration which has mostly disappeared from Santa Clara. Lois makes the pots and paints the designs while her husband helps with the firing and finding clay. She paints various designs most often depicting dances or pueblo life. By Combining white with a dark gold clay, Lois has created her own custom slip which fires as a lovely color. Each pot is signed Lois with a cross.

This piece was selected for its size and shape, the thinness of its walls and the wonderful design. It depicts an Avanyu sea serpent encircling the perimeter with feather patterns along the top.

Size: 7 1/2" Tall, 10 1/2" at widest point

Suggested Retail $4500.00 / Your Price: $3450.00

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