Painted and unpainted drums of all sizes are used in pueblo ceremonies. The drum suggests the thunder that comes with rain. The drum has two heads. Pueblo songs are written to start slowly and then go to a climax. At a certain point of the song, the drum is flipped over to achieve a higher beat. This lifts the dancers and gives them the impetus to continue dancing.

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The ceramics of Rick Dillingham (1952-1994) never ceased to surprise and amaze his dedicated collector admirers.  As soon as one was satisfied that he or she knew what to expect from Dillingham, he produced another unique pottery form.  Dillingham was known for his globular jars which he then broke and then reassembled as a conservator would do to prehistoric pottery shards. Then, around 1989-1990, he produced "gas cans."  His gas cans were architectural masterpieces based on, what else, architecture.

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This collection of miniature baskets was assembled in the 1960s by a client from the Midwest.  The collection represents weavers from Tohono O'odham, Akimel O'odham and Pomo tribes.  The collection is being offered as a group for the stated price, which, it has been determined, is well below market value. 

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Elizabeth White (1892-1990) Polingaysi Qöyawayma was the only Hopi potter who used her creativity to make pottery wind chimes, of which I am aware.  I have seen simple ones by her in the past, but never have I seen such a large one as this Mudhead Katsina production.  It unfortunately fell from its hanging strap in the past and the body developed cracks and a small chip broke out of the bottom rim.  It is still a formidable figure and a most collectible one from a major Hopi potter. 

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Wanda Aragon is perhaps the earliest Acoma Pueblo potter making exquisite miniature pottery vessels. She has been working in miniature for many years. Her jars, measuring two inches or less, are formed to perfection and painted inunbelievable precision. This small jar is testimony to her talent. It could not be more perfect in shape and design.

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Santana is best remembered as a collaborator with Maria Martinez, painting the designs on Maria's pottery after Julian passed away.  Santana and Adam also collaborated on pottery.  Santana made the pottery and Adam painted the designs.  Adam also did the firing of their pottery.  Adam surely was the one who gathered the clay for Santana and she most likely did all the clay processing.

Santana did not put Adam's name on their pottery in the early days but, then, someone said they saw a Santo Domingo jar with the name Santana on it, so Santana decided to add Adam's name to prevent confusion between their work and the work at Santo Domingo Pueblo.

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Winfield Humeyestewa is from the Hopi village of Mishongnovi on Second Mesa. He learned to make jewelry at the Hopi Silvercraft Cooperative Guild. The Guild was founded after World War II by artist Fred Kabotie to help unemployed veterans learn the art of silverwork.

This piece has traditional Hopi water and cloud symbols which are cut into one piece of silver and then overlaid onto another. It is an extremely good example of Hopi overlay work.

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Special Value Offer: The owner has suggested we offer this at $11,900, 15% less than the previously posted price of $14,000.

Well-crafted and beautifully-decorated pottery has always been part of the pueblo aesthetic.  It was not until the late 19th century that potters started adhering to the unfamiliar tastes of the Western eye.  It was of necessity to do this in order to make a sale.  This has not changed even today.  Potters produce what they know will sell to the non-Indian market.

This dough bowl, however, speaks loudly of the pueblo aesthetic.  It was made for, designed by and used by a pueblo potter.  It was made in the vessel shape that was needed for a particular use and designed with a traditional Kewa Pueblo design which could have been passed down in the same family of potters for decades.  It is because of these reasons that this bowl becomes such a collectible treasure.  It was beautifully shaped and expertly painted.  It is possible that it may have been used for several decades before leaving the pueblo.

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Painting Their WorldAdobe Gallery displays an unusual collection of San Ildefonso paintings from the 20th century

February 27, 2017 by Emily Van Cleve 

When Esther Hoyt arrived at San Ildefonso Pueblo in 1900 to work as an elementary school teacher, there were 138 Tewa-speaking Native American members of the community. Hoyt, going against U.S. governmental policy of discouraging children from artistic expression of their culture, provided the approximately 18 students in her class with watercolor paints and paper and asked them paint pictures of Pueblo ceremonial dances. She taught at the school until 1907.

Many of Hoyt's students grew up to become artists and inspired subsequent generations of San Ildefonso painters. "These students were producing a new art for a new market based on what had, until that time, been a Pueblo tradition of painting for ceremonial purposes, such as on kiva walls, and not for public use," explains Adobe Gallery owner Alexander E. Anthony, Jr.

Read more about this here.

This pottery jar was not signed by the potter but it was purchased by the current owner at the Museum of Northern Arizona annual Hopi Show on July 2, 1964.  All items at that annual show have a tag with the potter's name and any other specifics, however, the owner does not have the tag but does had a receipt from the museum with the potter's name, so there is no question that it was made by Emogene Lomakema in 1964.

Emogene Lomakema (1901-1999*) was a resident of the village of Walpi, at the far tip of First Mesa on the Hopi Reservation. She has been extensively collected by the Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff. She had a long and successful life and was a favorite of collectors. She was not active later in her life so there is very little of her pottery seen on the market today.

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Like many of his San Ildefonso contemporaries, Julian Martinez's most common subject was the pueblo dancer.  Martinez usually painted single figure scenes, using outlines that were thinner than those preferred by his peers.  The most noteworthy characteristic of his paintings is his striking use of color-Martinez's compositions are anchored by simple, beautiful watercolors that remain full of life almost 100 years after being put to paper. 
 
This piece is unusual in that its subject is not a pueblo dancer, but an encounter between a skunk and a bison.  The scene is at once intense and playful.  The skunk, mouth agape, appears to be backing away from his aggressor.  The wild-eyed bison, leaning back on his hind legs, may be preparing to attack the skunk.  It also may be recoiling in fear of the skunk's spray.  We'll never know which animal prevailed.

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Handmade silver salad service was popular before the Great Depression, but suffered from that time on. Revival of interest caused the Diné to start making them again sometime following World War II.

This silverware set was made from heavy gauge silver, most probably in the 1960s. The tines of the fork and the bowl of the spoon are beautifully stamped, but the true artwork is on the handles, where the artisan expressed his talent. A scallop design enclosed with extremely detailed and delicate fine line stamping on the lower portion of the handles was expertly executed.  Beautiful blue domed turquoise cabs were placed on the handles.

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At first glance, it appears that the silver is applied in an overlay technique with the upper layer having been cut out for placing the turquoise stones, but closer examination reveals that the silver is one layer and the areas for the stones were routed out of the silver so the bezels holding the stones sit in a depression.  Eight beautiful blue turquoise stones surround a larger blue stone.  

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Before the arrival of a contingent of families from Laguna Pueblo in the 1870s, Isleta pottery was simple, elegant and undecorated except for beautiful fire clouds.  After the Laguna potters settled in at their new home, they introduced Laguna-style polychrome decorated wares at Isleta and that style eventually came to be known as Isleta pottery.

Isleta pre-1900 pottery was made from tan earth-color clay over which was applied red slip that was then stone polished.  Sand was used as temper.  The potters who were traditionalists at Isleta did not switch over and start making the Laguna-style pottery.  Those older potters continued making their traditional wares as late as the 1920s.  Traditional Isleta redware pottery was embellished with a wide red band on the exterior wall at the rim of the jar.  In this jar, the exterior red band measures about 2-1/2 inches wide.  On the interior, there is also a red band at the rim which measures ½ inch wide.

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Teresita Romero was best known for making large jars and storyteller-like figurines. She was active only from around 1910s to 1960s, so her pottery is rather difficult to find. I do not believe there are many examples of her pottery on the market as we have not had but two others of hers in the history of the gallery. 

Her grandsons, Mateo Romero and Diego Romero, have continued in the tradition of the Cochiti Pueblo artisans, but in a more contemporary and expressive manner than the family tradition.

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Teresita Tafoya Naranjo (1919-1999) Apple Blossom - Bay-Po-Vi was the daughter of Christina Naranjo and granddaughter of Sara Fina Tafoya.  She has been acknowledged as one of the finest 20th-century potters at Santa Clara Pueblo. There have been, and still are, many potters at Santa Clara Pueblo, so to be recognized as one of the finest is not an insignificant compliment.  Her unexpected death in 1999 was a loss to pottery collectors.

This very large storage jar is one of her early masterpieces.  The upper half of the jar features a carved Avanyu design and the lower half is stone-polished red slip.  Teresita was a master potter who always produced magnificent vessels.  This jar qualifies as one of her magnificent ones. The burnish is smooth and consistent and the carving was beautifully accomplished to a consistent depth. This is a beautiful jar that makes a visual impression.

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This is one of the more unique Kewa jars we have encountered. The body of the vessel is globular and rises to a graceful neck that is short in comparison to most jars.  This shape is most appealing from a visual sense and also provided the potter with a larger area on which to lay the design.  There are three traditional polychrome Kewa birds separated by three long-stem black flowers.  The flowers extend from the lower framing lines to the neck of the vessel, made possible by the elongated vessel shape.

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Michaelis Burnham (1968-2003) was of the Navajo-Hopi tribes.  He was born in Tuba City, Arizona.  He was a self-taught artist who developed a mixed media technique in which he combined ground synthetics with acrylic paints to create depth and definition to his Native figures. 

Burnham's cousin was Kevin Quannie and his father was Bruce Burnham, well-known trader and owner of R. B. Burnham Company in Sanders, Arizona.  Young Burnham was born with a degenerative condition which limited him physically and resulted in his last years being hospitalized.

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Best of Santa Fe 2017-Final Voting

Thousands of Santa Fe Reporter readers nominate their picks for the Best of Santa Fe. Final voting is now open, and continues through May 31.

Adobe Gallery is in the running and you can participate!

The ballot features the top nominees in each category. The top three will be honored as the Best of Santa Fe 2017. 

Would you please vote for Adobe Gallery?

Share your votes on Twitter and Facebook with #BOSF2017 and tell your friends they can vote with their phone, tablet or desktop.

Make sure to follow @BestofSantaFe for updates.

Please vote for Adobe Gallery - click here

Or copy and paste this link into your browser:

http://sfreporter.secondstreetapp.com/l/Santa-Fe-Reporters-Best-of-Santa-Fe-2017/Ballot/ArtsandEntertainment

Once there, simply scroll down the page and you will see: 

Best Gallery

Click on this for a drop-down menu and VOTE for Adobe Gallery!!!

Each of these Matched Pair of Demitasse Silver and Turquoise Spoons has a stamped design on the handle and a small stamped design in the bowl at the point where the handle meets the bowl.  Each also has a small sky blue turquoise cab inserted on the handle.

These are perfect for dropping a dollop of cream in your espresso or a small scoop of sugar in your coffee or tea.

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