Delbridge Honanie (Coochsiwukioma) “Sun God Born from the Pottery”

This striking painting by Delbridge Honanie (1946-2017) — whose Hopi name was Coochsiwukioma ("Falling White Snow") — is an exceptional showcase of his signature modernist aesthetic, rooted in the collective vision of the historic Artist Hopid movement. The piece beautifully synthesizes ancient Hopi cosmology, prehistoric mural traditions, and mid-century modern geometric abstraction.

The composition is vertically balanced, tracking a spiritual or physical transformation that bridges the underworld, the earth, and the spirit realm.

The stylized central dynamic figure is rendered with bold, clean black outlines and a geometric, cubist-inspired treatment of the body. The split, dual-aspected face/mask is a classic modern Hopi convention, often used by Honanie and his contemporaries to represent the dual nature of existence, the balance of forces, or a specific Katsina spirit shifting form. The dynamic, dancing posture captures the intense energy of ceremonial movement.

The figure is emerging directly out of — or balancing upon — a classic Pueblo pottery jar. The jar acts as a literal and spiritual vessel. Inside the body of the pot, a stylized human form is depicted in a fetal or swimming position against a dark background. This heavily references the Hopi Emergence story, where life and the Hopi people ascended from the lower worlds into the present Fourth World.

The bottom of the canvas features flat horizontal bands of color (turquoise, black, and gold) interspersed with a segmented white dash-line pattern. This geometric grounding line mimics the design borders found on prehistoric Kiva murals and traditional Pueblo pottery. The flat planes of color and hard-edged figural work are directly inspired by the ancient, ancestral sgraffito and painted murals discovered at archaeological sites like Awatovi and Kawaika-a.

Rather than using strictly earthy, muted tones, Honanie embraces a highly sophisticated palette. The choice of a vibrant, solid lavender/pink background provides a stark, contemporary contrast that pushes the primary yellow, blue, and brick-red tones of the central figure straight to the foreground.

Honanie was a founding member of Artist Hopid, a cooperative formed in 1973 at Second Mesa alongside Michael Kabotie, Terrance Talaswaima, Milland Lomakema, and Neil David, Sr. The group's mission was to experiment with contemporary artistic expressions while educating the public about authentic Hopi values, history, and identity.

Honanie was born in Winslow, Arizona and grew up in the Second Mesa village of Shungopavi. He belonged to the Bear Clan. He attended the Phoenix Indian Day School and graduated in 1970 from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, where he studied under legendary ceramicist and artist Otellie Loloma.

Celebrated as a master painter, sculptor, and cottonwood root Katsina doll carver, Honanie was officially named an Arizona Indian Living Treasure in 2006. His monumental works, including the famous "Journey of the Human Spirit mural" (co-painted with Michael Kabotie), have been exhibited internationally and reside in permanent museum collections like the Museum of Northern Arizona and the Dallas Museum of Art.

This particular canvas perfectly captures Honanie's genius: taking sacred, deeply historic Hopi concepts and translating them into a sophisticated, mid-century modern graphic language.

Condition: this Delbridge Honanie (Coochsiwukioma) "Sun God Born from the Pottery" is in very good condition

Provenance: This painting by Delbridge Honanie has a typed tag on verso from the Hopi Cultural Center Museum stating that the painting is from the Byron Harvey Collection and is Not For Sale. It was released for sale and purchased by the current owner in 2014.

Recommended Reading: Hopi Painting: the World of the Hopis by Patricia Janis Broder.

TAGS: Hopi Pueblo, Santa Fe, Otellie Loloma, Terrance Talaswaima, Michael Kabotie, Neil David, Sr., Native American Paintings, Katsina Dolls, Delbridge Honanie