Contemporary Acoma Pueblo Black on White Seed Jar by Dorothy Torivio [SOLD]

Acoma Pueblo potters are known for their ability to render the most elaborate fine-line designs. Intricate geometric patterns painted in black and red on a white slipped background have been the hallmark of Acoma Pueblo artists for over a century.   In the 1970s Dorothy Torivio took pottery of Acoma Pueblo to a whole new level. Her complex, eye-dazzling designs painted with painstaking precision reflected the Op-Art movement of the 70s. Her innovative designs won her numerous awards and accolades.

As in all her pottery, this seed jar was meticulously shaped and decorated. The vessel rises from a small base, expands outward and upward to the widest diameter, then rolls in and up to a graceful elevated rim, reminiscent of a volcano crater.

The black paint was made from boiling the leaves of the Rocky Mountain bee plant. The residue hardens in a manner like watercolor pigments.  When wet with a brush, it liquifies. It is then painstakingly applied by using a brush made of fibers of a yucca leaf.

The complex design on this seed jar is typical of the work of this artist.  The “kite” design is at its minimum size at the rim of the jar, almost too small to see.  Each level expands in size as the design progresses down the shoulder. At the widest part of the vessel, the design achieves its maximum size, then begins to diminish in scale as it continues to the base of the jar.

This seed jar is a visual masterpiece. It is signed with the name of the artist and pueblo on the bottom.  If one looks at only a single black kite in a white circle and then contemplates repeating it a hundred or more times in expanding and contrasting size, it would appear to be near impossible to complete without making mistakes.  Obviously, Dorothy Torivio (1946 - 2011) was a potter of talent and patience and it is those qualities that made her such an outstanding success.

This seed jar is a visual masterpiece. It is signed with the name of the artist and pueblo on the bottom.

Condition: very good condition with residue stain of a previous price tag on the underside.

Provenance: this Contemporary Acoma Pueblo Black on White Seed Jar by Dorothy Torivio is from the collection of a family from Florida

Recommended Reading: Art of Clay - Timeless Pottery of the Southwest by Lee M. Cohen, whose Gallery 10 featured the works of Dorothy Torivio

Relative Links: Acoma Pueblo, Lolita Concho; Juanita Keene; Sandra M. Victorino, Dorothy Torivio