Santa Clara Pueblo Polished Redware Pottery Jar by Tina Garcia [SOLD]

This polished redware pottery jar was made by Tina Garcia, a potter with roots at both Santa Clara and San Juan Pueblos.  It is an extraordinarily well-crafted vessel with an excellent shape and appropriately minimal adornment.  Three bear paw designs are spaced evenly around the upper portion of the jar.  Each bear paw is a simple capital “U” shape, with three short lines placed within its walls.  Garcia’s bear paws are stylish but subtle variations of a traditional design.

The vessel, like the designs, is quietly expressive.  It recalls the shape of a Hopi seed jar, but stretched a bit vertically, and augmented with a short neck and flared rim.  The jar’s most appealing trait is its rich red tone.  With its highly polished finished and bright, glassy surface, the jar’s red truly shines.  It has the depth of historic San Juan redware, but it is presented through a refined, modern polish.  This is a fine contemporary pot that will likely appeal to a wide variety of collectors.

The bottom of the jar is signed “Tina Garcia, SJ/SC VII.”

Tina Garcia (1957 - 2005) was the granddaughter of Severa Tafoya. Her mother was from Santa Clara Pueblo and her father from Ohkay Owingeh. She learned pottery making from her grandmother and her aunt, Angela Baca.  She was producing blackware herself by the time she was eleven. When she decided to become a career potter, she spent time in museums studying the artform. After spending time with the collections at the School of American Research in Santa Fe, she came to the decision to only create pieces that reflected the classic Tewa shapes and forms. She made pots that honored the traditional forms with a beautifully polished modern finish. The only decoration she used was the traditional Santa Clara bear paw, and she did so infrequently.

Condition: excellent condition with a few small abrasions on the exterior

Provenance: this Santa Clara Pueblo Polished Redware Pottery Jar by Tina Garcia is from a private collection

Recommended Reading: Santa Clara Pottery Today by Betty LeFree

Relative Links: Santa Clara Pueblo, Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, Severa Tafoya, Southwest Indian Pottery, Tina Garcia, Santa Clara Pueblo Potter