Jaclas are comprised of two loops of turquoise and shell strung individually and then tied together in a fashion by which they can be hung from a nugget necklace.  Originally, in the 19th century, each of the units was made for use as earrings.  When not being worn, they were hung on a nugget necklace for storage.  Eventually, their use as earrings ceased and their use as a pendant on a necklace became permanent.  

Would you like to know more?

Neil David, Sr. (1944-Present) has an amazing talent for presenting the Hopi-Tewa clowns in their finest.  Something as simple as a clown sitting on the ground beating a drum and singing is depicted by Neil in a manner that causes one to smile when looking at it.  The faces of his clowns are amazingly interesting, whether joyful or fearful.  Neil has that unique talent of being able to paint clowns at their best.  This painting is signed in lower right and dated 1990.

Would you like to know more? 

Jimmy Toddy was essentially a self-taught artist, his only early instructions being from the Lippincotts of Wide Ruins Trading Post where he spent most of his time as a child.  The Lippincotts were not trained in art instruction but their comments to him were beneficial.  After the end of World War II, there was a movement among some Native American artists to develop a more realistic approach to art than that taught atThe Studio of the Santa Fe Indian School.  Paintings in this style were more illustrative and explicit in details of realistic life.

In this large painting, the artist focuses our attention on the three Indians on horseback.  Other than the ground plane and a couple of birds flying overhead, there are no other objects to divert one's attention.  Each of the three young men is dressed in traditional Navajo clothing, wearing moccasins and headbands, and carrying either a sheathed gun or a spear.  They are out for a hunt but are talking and laying their plans before departing for the hunt.

Would you like to know more?

The potters at Cochiti Pueblo reacted to these invasions in a most intriguing manner. From about 1870 to 1920, they made pottery figurines, some in mockery of the new invaders and others of animals. birds and other objects.  These latter ones were most popular with Santa Fe merchants who were in need of small items of Native manufacture to sell to the many visiting tourists to Santa Fe.

This duck is typical of many small items made for the trade market.  We have classified it as a duck but maybe it is a bird of another nature.  It appears to have been made in the late 1800s or early 1900s.

Would you like to know more?

David Chethlahe Paladin was an extraordinarily talented artist.  Every painting by him that we have had has been so totally different from the others that one wonders if he can be ascribed a style other than very varied. 

While in college, Paladin learned to experiment with mixing clay, sand, and mud to develop different textures to fashion his art. This painting has most likely been created using a mixture of sand and paint. Three figures that he designated as "Trinity in Sand" are the predominate elements of the painting.  They are surrounded by a variety of shapes that fill the voids of the painting.  It is an amazingly beautiful mixture of texture, color and shapes. 

Would you like to know more?

Diane Calabaza (b.1954 -) He'Shi Flower is not recorded in any of my artist reference books but it is likely that she is related in some manner to San Ildefonso potter Blue Corn, whose name was Crucita Calabaza.  I know of no other Calabaza family at San Ildefonso.

Diane indicated on the back of this painting that it was painted with "natural earth colors." I am unsure if she meant that the paints were made from mineral earth materials or if she only meant that the shading was earth colors. 

Would you like to know more?

This painting is signed in lower right Tohoma '37, a signature that Quincy Tahoma used early in his career before changing the spelling to Tahoma.  He indicated, on verso, the title, date and his age of 17, which does not agree with a published date of birth of 1917.  At any rate, whether he was 17 or 20, the painting is an amazing work of art for a young person.  It is possible that someone else incorrectly wrote the age on the painting.

Tahoma presents us with a group of seven men, all of whom are singing vigorously.  An eighth one is apparently taking a nap. They are dressed in a variety of clothing from checkerboard to plain trousers, plaid to flower shirts, wrapped in blankets, and cowboy hats to bandanas.  As a background, he included an arbor with a wooden wall and a large arrangement of a green plant.

Would you like to know more?

Clara Lee Tanner, in her book Southwest Indian Painting: a changing art, compares Robert Chee to Harrison Begay in his strong ability to handle a great many colors and his tendency to stress the "intensity of tone in small areas." Chee, especially later in his very short life, could also be compared stylistically to Beatien Yazz.  Chee passed away at the age of 34.  Had he not passed away so soon, would we have seen many more spectacular paintings by him?  Probably so. 

Would you like to know more? 

Figurine pottery has always been a tradition among the pottery-producing tribes.Cochiti Pueblo has always been at the forefront in this area, but other pueblos produced them too. There is evidence that Cochiti produced figurative pottery as early as the 19th century. Cochiti Pueblo potters are recognized as the 20th century's most adept potters at making humorous figurines, whether they are people or animals. This figurine is probably from the late 19th or early 20th century. The patina is a good indication of its age.

Would you like to know more? 

Joseph R. Willis (1876-1960) was known for his portraits of American Indians, principally of New Mexico and Arizona. His work was realistic. Photography was another medium for which he was well known. Many of the photographs were used to make view-master reels and post cards, which have become quite collectible today.

Would you like to know more?

Maria and Julian Martinez were very creative artists and, early in their careers, were experimental with designs and shapes.  Sometimes we marvel at their creativity.  This bowl has a wide-flaring rim and is much more in the vessel shape of a traditional chile bowl or small serving bowl.  If it had been made at Santo Domingo Pueblo, there would be no doubt that it was meant for a chile bowl.

Would you like to know more? 

Navajo silversmith Francis Jones was born in 1944 and at last report was living at or near Gallup, New Mexico.  One of his specialties is a squash blossom necklace comprised of Yei figures in the guardian rainbow style, such as this one. 

Would you like to know more?

Tea time at Cochiti Pueblo in the early 20th century.  This amazing small tea pot is beautifully decorated with floral designs.  Items such as this were what Cochiti potters made before the popularity of storytellers.  It is certainly from the early 20th century.  It is not signed with the name of the potter.

Would you like to know more? 

My opinion is that this Cochiti Pueblo figurine represents a cat but I am not absolutely sure of that. There is a long tail curled up on the back side, a tail like that of a cat.  It could represent another animal.  Regardless, it is so typical of early 20th century animal figurines by potters from Cochiti Pueblo.  There is no potter's name associated with it. 

Would you like to know more?

I guess this Cochiti Pueblo figurine represents what you think it represents.  To me, it looks like a blow fish but I'm sure there are no blow fish in Cochiti Lake.  It is rather unique from the standpoint of having a handle attached.  I believe it to date to very early 20thcentury.  There is no artist name written on it. 

Would you like to know more?

Shalako, a reenactment of the creation and migration of the Zuni people to "Heptina," the "Middle Place," has persisted through the centuries. The religious activities are controlled by "caciques" of the six kivas, representing the four directions and up and down, which constitute the dance groups, and each kiva is associated with a direction, a color, and certain fetishes.

Would you like to know more?

Adobe Gallery  221 Canyon Rd, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501

October 14 - October 15

Details

Ninth Annual Historic Canyon Road Paint & Sculpt Out Saturday, October 14th-15th, 2016

ARTIST SIGN-UP 1. artist name, 2. media, 3. genre and 4. hometown. 5. Gallery
1. Myron Denetclaw
2. Watercolor and Acrylic on Matte Paper
3. Indian School Style or Flat Style
4. Diné - Navajo Nation
5. Adobe Gallery

4-5 interesting things about the artist and his/her work listed in the body of an email.
1. He is a natural born artist and has not received any structured or official training as a painter. 
2. Chooses to paint in the Indian School Style or Flat Style that was started in the early 1900's, first by the San Ildefonso Day School and then at the Santa Fe Indian School in the 1930s. 
3. A Native artist, he is from the Navajo Nation.
4. Recent ribbon winner at the New Mexico State Fair - won BEST OF SHOW. "First time have I painted horses and wildlife... entitled 'Nightway: Ceremonial Hunt'. Three Navajo hunters galloping after three deer for their use in making sacred masks, used in 9-day winter rites. 18 × 24 inches, framed, acrylic on matte paper."

 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1398307803532593&set=a.261161560580562.77652.100000601591983&type=3 

It is generally accepted that a potter will not knowingly copy the designs of another potter and a family of potters will not knowingly copy the designs associated with another family of potters.  With that in mind, we take a look at the designs of this Hopi-Tewa cylinder.

The stylized birds on this cylinder are of the style that Nampeyo of Hano used based on her exposure to the pottery sherds being excavated at the prehistoric ruins ofSikyatki.  Nampeyo is known to not have copied the designs of the Sikyatki potters, but to have been inspired by them and based her designs on what she saw.

Would you like to know more?

Many potters today make wedding vessels but there seems no longer a tradition at any of the pueblos to use them ceremonially.  They apparently are made to be sold to collectors and as wedding gifts to others as a keepsake.

There was a time, according to Santa Clara potter Teresita Naranjo, when the wedding vessel was used at Santa Clara Pueblo.

Would you like to know more?

When Stephen Trimble published his book Talking with the Clay-the Art of Pueblo Pottery in 1987, he put a grouping of Helen Shupla's black and red pottery on the cover, another grouping of her pottery facing Chapter Three, and mentioned her in the text on page 47.  This is an indication of his admiration for her work.  In Betty LeFree's book Santa Clara Pottery Today, published in 1975, she interviewed Helen Shupla and quoted her in regard to the proper mixing of clay. She chose Helen because of her production of fine pottery. 

Would you like to know more?