Charles Navasie
Charles Navasie is a full blooded Native American Indian, and he was born in 1965 into the Hopi-Tewa Reservation. His a member of the Parrot Clan. He began working with clay at the age of fifteen. He was inspired by his grandmothers, the late, Pagua Naha, and the world renowned Joy Frogwoman Navasie, to continue the long lived family tradition of making pottery using ancient traditional methods. Frogwoman shared all the fundamentals of working with clay and encouraged Charles to continue the family tradition and add to the legacy of their ancestors.
Charles specializes in hand coiling and hand painting traditional seedjars, bowls, and vases. He gathers his raw clay from within the hills of the Hopi Reservation. Next, he cleans the clay until it reaches a fine powder form. Then, he mixes the powder with water. Once the clay reaches a fine medium he begins the hand coiling process and begins the shaping of the vessel by using snake like coils. When the shape of the vessel is determined he sets his product out to dry. When his vessel is dried he will sand the piece by hand for a smooth finish. Then he begins the hand painting process. The colors used on his his pottery are all authentically hand mixed from natural vegetation which is also harvested from within the Hopi Reservation. Once the vessel has been painted and set out to dry he will complete the process by giving the pottery a traditional firing, the way of his ancestors, outdoors, using authentic sheep dung. Then, he adds a fine polish which he has mastered to perfection. He signs his pottery as: Charles Navasie with a symbol of a frog to denote his family origin.
Charles specializes in hand coiling and hand painting traditional seedjars, bowls, and vases. He gathers his raw clay from within the hills of the Hopi Reservation. Next, he cleans the clay until it reaches a fine powder form. Then, he mixes the powder with water. Once the clay reaches a fine medium he begins the hand coiling process and begins the shaping of the vessel by using snake like coils. When the shape of the vessel is determined he sets his product out to dry. When his vessel is dried he will sand the piece by hand for a smooth finish. Then he begins the hand painting process. The colors used on his his pottery are all authentically hand mixed from natural vegetation which is also harvested from within the Hopi Reservation. Once the vessel has been painted and set out to dry he will complete the process by giving the pottery a traditional firing, the way of his ancestors, outdoors, using authentic sheep dung. Then, he adds a fine polish which he has mastered to perfection. He signs his pottery as: Charles Navasie with a symbol of a frog to denote his family origin.