COCHITI, SANTO DOMINGO, JEMEZ AND ZIA

Click on the photograph for an enlarged view.

      Dorothy is the daughter of deceased Cochiti potter Mary Frances Herrera. Mary Frances started making storytellers in the years after Helen Cordero invented the form at Cochiti in 1964. After Dorothy's mother passed away in 1990, Dorothy was able to continue in the style that her mother had worked.
     These two bears are whimsical examples of Dorothy’s storytellers. We love the bear, with the cubs and the fish.

#CW12728 - Black & White Bears
A) 4" high by 2" wide
Price: $120
B) 4" high by 2" wide
Price: $120 SOLD

      Lisa Holt is the daughter of the late Inez Ortiz and niece of Virgil Ortiz, both of whom have helped and inspired Lisa in her pottery making. Lisa began making whimsical figures and has now progressed to beautifully coiled large jars. She uses all natural materials and those pieces are fired outdoors in the traditional manner. Sometimes we can see smoke clouds from being fired on a windy day. Lisa’s husband, Harlan Reano, paints the wonderfully precise and intricate designs on Lisa’s jars using the native wild spinach paint. Together they produce unique and elegant pieces.
     We have always sold Lisa and Harlan’s bowls, but this is our first figure. Something about this frog made me laugh! Look at the teeth in the open mouth. it is as if the frog is absolutely grinning at us! We love the shape – the posture, and the painting!

#CW7825 - 6" high by 13 1/2" wide
Price: $1800

     This is a spectacularly shaped tall vase. Over a foot tall, it is elegant. The top is squared off, and the overall feeling is of a contemporary piece. If you look at the wonderful black/white/red painted design you can actually see camouflaged hummingbirds! The floral patterns in both black and white colors blend so well with the red slips. The hidden birds really soar on this piece. Take a careful look at the lip, as it is so well crafted.

#CW9815 - 13" high by 7" wide
Price: $3500

      Janice Ortiz is the sister of potters Virgil and Inez. She learned to make pottery from her mother, Seferina Ortiz. Janice is known for her creation of beautiful Cochiti figures. She uses all native materials, including her clays and slips. The wild spinach is used for the black colorations. Both she and Virgil pioneered a revival of the 19th century style of standing human figures.
     This is a whimsical and very funny set of figures by Janice. They are beautifully formed, expertly painted, and they are showing very life like characteristics. I haven’t seen the movie “Surfs UP” so Janice had to explain to me that the surfers are Chicken Joe (with the glasses) Cody (the penguin with the hair) and Lani – the girl with her outstretched arm. Cody Maverick may be a relative amateur when it comes to hanging ten, but he's sure he has what it takes to surf his way to superstardom. This is an inspirational tale that proves anything is possible when you put your heart and mind to it. - Right out of the film, Janice says these are Cochiti figures with her own sense of humor. We LOVE THEM!

#CW9819 -
Lani - 5 ½” high by 4 ½” wide
Cody – 5” high by 2 ½” wide
Joe – 3 ¾” high by 2 ¼” wide
Price: $1200 for the set of three characters SOLD

      Mary Trujillo was born in 1937. Her husband is Leonard Trujillo, who has been helping Mary with her work since the 1980’s. She learned many of her techniques in creating storytellers from her mother-in-law – the famous Helen Cordero. Mary has won numerous awards throughout the years, at all the various Pueblo art shows. There are so few Cochiti potters making the old style storytellers, we are so honored to have Mary make them for our gallery.
      This is a very large male Keres figure – drumming and singing. The traditional cowboy hat with the leather hat band is worn, and the accurate detailed clothing designs are replicated. The drum here is made by Mary's husband, Leonard. It is hollowed out cottonwood, with rawhide drum heads. We just can’t say enough about her work.

#CW5728 - 14" high by 9" wide
Price: $2200

     Being a student of Robert Tenorio has been a wonderful opportunity for Warren Coriz. From the Santo Domingo Pueblo, in his late 30’s, Warren makes all his pottery in the traditional manner; hand dug clay and slips, hand coiling, painting with natural slips, and outdoor firing. Warren is the son-in-law of the late Hilda and Arthur Coriz; Warren took two First Place Awards at the 2006 Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Show and continues to improve his work. He is a terrific painter, and also is becoming well known for his coiling of wonderful, classic shapes. There is a beautiful translucent quality to his work – very typical of Santa Domingo pottery.

#CW7822 -
A) Food Bowl with Fish - 3 ½” high by 8” wide
Price: $210
B) Food Bowl with Bird - 3 ½” high by 8” wide
Price: $210 SOLD

      Potter Robert Tenorio is credited with single-handedly reviving the art form of Santo Domingo pottery. He has been honored and praised as a native potter for years. Robert went to the Institute of Indian Arts (IAIA) in the 1960s to become a silversmith. He often ventured into the clay section at the school and then later decided to take up potting. He uses all natural clays and coiling, painting, and firing techniques. Some very high powered people have collected his work: The Royal Family of Great Britain, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, The City of Beverly Hills, Ronald Regan and others. His work is featured at various museums and galleries throughout the world. To spend time with Robert is quite special. He is a fantastic storyteller; sitting and watching Robert paint a pot is a grand experience, because the conversation that goes with it - is priceless!
      This bowl is a wonderful example of Robert's work. It has such an "old" feel about it. The painting is soft and muted. There are two predominant themes- old style floral patterns and Kiva steps. It is wonderfully made with a beautiful shape. All the horizontal lines and wave patterns create a feeling of movement.

#CW186 - 6 1/2" high by 9" wide
Price: $1200

      This is a marvelous, large plate by Robert. In all these years, we have never had an actual plate from him. There have been many shallow bowls, but a plate this size is hard to make and have it withstand the firing. It is 14” across, and it is very dynamic. The fish are in the center medallion, and they are surrounded by plant imagery, stair stepped mountains, and geometrics. It is a terrific canvas to show off his slipped polychrome colors. It takes such skill to fire this in the outdoor, traditional manner, but Robert adheres to that old technique.

#CW6922 - 14" wide
Price: $1250 SOLD

      Thomas Tenorio, was given the Indian name of “U-Nah-Thee-Wah” when he was born into the Pueblo of Santo Domingo in 1963. He is the grandson of Pete Aguilar and the son of Trinidad Aguilar and Anacita Tenorio. Thomas felt that the ancient traditional method of pottery making was dying within his Pueblo, so he was inspired to try to resurrect this long standing tradition.He creates traditional polychrome pots, often with a contemporary flare with designs. Working in clay since 1972, he is a self taught potter.
      Thomas now teaches classes on pottery making so that anyone wanting to learn the art of working with clay can do so and carry on a long lived tradition. He gathers all of his natural pigments from within the Santo Domingo Pueblo. He cleans, hand mixes, hand coils, shapes, and fires his pottery outdoors, the traditional way.
      He signs his pottery as: Thomas Tenorio, Santo Domingo Pueblo. His work is quite admired, as he has won numerous awards at many Indian Markets.
     What a great sized large jar from Thomas. The shape is marvelous, and the painting is beautiful. We particularly like the contemporary look of his fish, plants, and sea horse, but painted so nicely in that muted, traditional Santo Domingo style. It looks great on a stairwell, on a high shelf, or on a hearth. It really stands out on its own and would be grand looking in so many surroundings.

#CW10812 - 15" high by 12" wide
Price: $2400

      BJ Fragua is the daughter of Juanita Fragua. Her sister is Glendora, a wonderful potter, and her brother is Cliff Fragua, a talented sculptor. She is an exceptionally talented artist, creating some of the best of Jemez traditional pottery. She was inspired to make pottery by her mother Juanita many years ago, and has now developed a unique and beautifully elegant design style. Known for her precise and strikingly beautiful painting, she continues to use traditional images as she discovers new shapes and forms. There is a wonderful symmetry in her designs as they flow around the mid sections of her pottery. BJ carves sections of her pots, and then accentuates the painted areas in which she paints her designs. Her finishes are smooth, and she creates a high sheen to the polished areas.
This is a stunning painted vase by BJ. Using new design elements, this is the first one she has made like it. Depicting a starry night, she uses classic floral and butterfly designs. It is a lovely composition.

#CW9723 - 9 " high by 7 " wide
Price: $1200

      Glendora Fragua was born into a family of potters at the Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico. Her mother, the well known potter Juanita Fragua, was her main inspiration. So at the age of 16, Glendora tried her hand at pottery making.But unlike Juanita, Glendora experimented with the scratch technique of etched pottery called sgraffito. Her designs are created by scratching away part of the polished surface of the pot. She often sets tones (coral, turquoise, onyx, malachite, lapis) into the decorated portions of the pots.They are placed in the pot before firing, removed during that process, and then replaced after the firing. This is by far one of the most difficult of all decorating methods, but Glendora has become a master at it ! Her work shows both a delicacy and sophistication.
      Masterful and unique is a good way to describe this marvelous bowl form Glendora. Using no added stones she shows tremendous detailed incising of dragonflies amidst a myriad of other flowers and symbolic elements. The opening is carved in a scalloped pattern, with clearly defined black squares below. Reds, rusts, black, tans, and orange hues make this polychrome piece exceptional. The work doesn’t’ stop on the top – The entire bottom half of the pot is delicately incised with floral and geometric patterns as well. This is such labor intensive work. This is a stunning new creation.

#CW7816 - 2 ¾” high by 5” wide
Price: $1200 SOLD

     This seed bowl is nicely designed with butterflies and geometric patterns. The tans, reds, and white dots on the dark slipped curved lines are very bold, so the entire piece has a 3-D effect. Glendora’s work is always so consistent.

#CW7818 - 3 ¼” high by 2 ¼” wide
Price: $395

     This is a FIRST for Glendora. She has never made this shape before, and the end result is marvelous. She calls it a “prayer bowl” We laughed together, because when it was finished I called it a “candy dish”. The inside is incised with butterflies and flowers on vines, all with great precision. The bottom is incised with dragonflies, more floral patterns, and then classic spirals. A painted band surrounds the top edge of the bottom, and the lip is beautifully scalloped. It is a delightful creation from one of our top potters.

#CW6911 - 1 ¾” high by 6” wide
Price: $1200

      This is a lovely double sided, stair stepped Sun Face plaque. One side is predominantly reds, and the other side is predominantly tans. There is such detail here, and wonderful contrasting tones.

#CW12820 - 2 1/2" high by 2 1/2 " wide
Price: $325

     Kathleen Wall, an accomplished young potter from Jemez is known for her sculpted, clay whimsical Koshare clown figures and masks. We were fortunate to have here her in Denver, working as one of our guests at an open house. Her sense of humor, combined with her friendly personality made our local customers very happy to be in her presence. Kathleen's father, Steve Wall, is a Chippewa stone sculptor, while her mother Fannie Loretto, is a well known Jemez potter. Naturally, Kathleen knew she wanted to work in clay. "When you're absolutely surrounded by it, you can't help it," she says, "I picked clay as an art form because I grew up with it. It came naturally but it didn't come easy." Kathleen graduated from the Institute of American Indian Art and her work has become a part of the permanent collection at the IAIA Museum. When she entered her work for the first time for judging at Indian Market in Santa Fe, she went home with top honors in the ceramic sculpture category.
     This particular clown is so delightful. Kathleen sculpted a drum, for the seated figure to rest. The Koshare holds a slice of watermelon, and has the rest of it is sitting nearby. Facial expressions are important to Kathleen, and this figure has a great, full smile!

#CW5730 - 24" high by 9" wide
Price: $2400

     I so enjoy working with both sisters, from Zia; Ruby Panana and Eleanor Griego. Eleanor Pino-Griego is one of Zia Pueblo's best-known potters. She is of the Coyote/Sage Brush Clans and has been an active potter since the 1970s working with traditional polychrome jars, bowls and vases. Ascension Galvan Pino, her grandmother, and Laura Pino, her mother, taught her. Eleanor has won awards at the Santa Fe Indian Market and the Eight Northern Pueblos Arts & Crafts Fair.
I so enjoy some of Eleanor’s old style shapes. This is a food bowl with an added scalloped lip. Look at the nice polishing all the way on the inside of the bowl – and the added design painted on the inside of the lip. Beautifully painted, it is a classic piece.

#CW5722 - 5" high by 10 1/2" wide
Price: $600

      A perfect, tiny, miniature butterfly canteen! Enjoy the delicate nature of this piece!

#AJLZ12821 - 1 1/2" high by 1/2" wide
Price: $80

     Ruby Panana was born and raised in Zia. She is part of four generations of potters, learning most of her pottery from her mom, Serafina Pino Bell. Ruby went through the fourth grade at the Zia Day School and then went to Albuquerque for her higher grades. She attended West Mesa High School. While in high school, she helped her mother with her pottery, and then began to make some small pieces on her own. She got "bored" and went on to the University of Albuquerque working towards a teaching degree. But at that point, her scholarship money did not cover her expenses, so she had to quit college. She laughs, as she told me, "I became a very good bartender for nine years, but then I really got bored!" She wanted to start a family with her husband Larry, so she quit the bartending business and started to make pottery full time in 1983.
     Ruby's first ribbon was a FIRST PLACE in the New Mexico State Fair in 1985 and she has been winning awards ever since.
     Ruby is such a delight! Her pots are completely traditional in every aspect - materials- methods- designs... She loves her link to the past - and enjoys recreating that history in her pottery making.

#CW10720 - 13 " high by 18 " wide
Price: $1400 SOLD

     Here is another classic shaped olla by Ruby. We particularly like the black and white stripes at the top of the pot, and then repeated again in the bird’s feathers. It is a very nice detail.

#CW176 - 8" high by 9 1/2 " wide
Price: $375

     Consistent, classic, and traditional; these are all terms that apply to Ruby’s work. This is a particularly nice shaped large bowl with the birds, rainbows, and stair stepped images. She has used the tan background slip, and it creates an overall soft, warm finish.

#CW3813 - 11" high by 12" wide
Price: $800