Frances Torivio was a sister of Lolita Concho and the mother of Lilly Salvador and Wanda Aragon. She was one of the important matriarchs of Acoma and made large jars in the prime of her life. She was still attending Indian Market in 2001 at the grand age of 96, and proudly displaying smaller items.

She was one of the important matriarchs of Acoma Pueblo pottery families and had gained fame as an outstanding potter. In 1976, she taught traditional pottery-making classes not only for her own family, but for many, many more at the pueblo. She once described how she and her sister, Lolita Concho, learned pottery making the hard way, without someone to teach them. Torivio gained fame as an outstanding potter, as did her sister.

Torivio never fell into the trend of other Acoma potters who started painting green ware pottery or firing in a commercial kiln. She always continued following ancient techniques of acquiring her clay from Mother Nature, grinding up potsherds for temper, hand coiling the pottery, using all native materials for paints, and firing the pottery in the traditional outdoors technique.

This jar is a small water jar with parrots and rainbows as the prime design. Rainbows of two different colors hover over parrots on opposing sides, and parrots perched on flowers appear of opposing sides. The standard three colors of white, black and red appear with a fourth color of rose. The jar is well constructed and beautifully painted.

Condition: very good condition
Provenance: from a gentleman in Colorado
Recommended Reading: Acoma and Laguna Pottery by Rick Dillingham

Subject: Acoma Four-color Olla with Parrot Design
Artist / Potter: Frances P. Torivio (1905-2001)
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Acoma Pueblo
Medium: clay, pigments
Size: 8-1/2" x 9-1/4" diameter
Item # C3354E

Harrison Juan has been carving the cottonwood he finds along the creek beds of the San Juan River for over 35 years. He was born in Lake Valley and became interested in making art while observing his uncle, Johnson Antonio, a Navajo folk art artist. He remembers that he cut wood for Antonio and ran errands for him in the beginning. Juan's goal is to become self-sufficient as an artist, but he has been working on and off in construction for support.

"I just try to keep it going," the artist explained to the Rosenaks, "showing the joys of reservation life and Navajo people at gatherings, ceremonies, and just the fun of friends being together at local posts. I carve the older people and show how they are dressed ... and sporting their best jewelry."

Juan's carvings can be more serious at times as he captures the older generation but also his generation at work, riding motorcycles, or just hanging out. In winter, when the Yeis are dancing, he will sometimes place his subjects at ceremonies-his goal is highlighting the stories of his people.

This carving of a Navajo male riding a motorcycle is an excellent example of the fine carving seen in Juan's work. The details shown in the tires and the engine compartment are exceptional. The overall proportion of rider and vehicle is to scale.

Condition: original condition
Provenance: from the collection of Jan and Chuck Rosenak. Published in Navajo Folk Art by Chuck and Jan Rosenak, page 63
Recommended Reading: Navajo Folk Art by Chuck and Jan Rosenak

Title: Navajo Folk Art Wood Carving "Man on Motorcycle"
Artist / Carver: Harrison Juan (1953-present)
Category: Other Items
Origin: Diné - Navajo Nation
Medium: wood, paint
Size: 13-3/4" long x 6-1/2" wide x 10-1/2" tall
Item # C3347K

Harrison Begay, or Haskay Yahne Yah (The Wandering Boy*), to his knowledge, was born in 1914 approximately fourteen miles west of present-day Greasewood, Arizona, on the Dine` (Navajo) Reservation at a place known as Whitecone. His date of birth is often cited as a few years later, however, there are no records and Harrison prefers the year 1914.

When he was a boy of seven years, his mother died and soon after that he was sent off to government boarding schools. As he grew older he decided to study art in Santa Fe where an art school was organized by the government in the early 1930s. From 1934 until about 1940 he attended this school under Dorothy Dunn. Following art school, Harrison attended college and then enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II. Serving under General Dwight Eisenhower, Harrison did not have much opportunity to pursue his painting. Soon after his discharge and return to Arizona he was able to begin once more his study of art. Then in the 1960s he again met General Eisenhower at the annual Ceremonials in Gallup, New Mexico. At that time Harrison presented General Eisenhower with one of his fine paintings which is in a permanent collection in Washington, D.C. "Begay's paintings have exerted greater influence on Navajo artists than any other person. His work is internationally known."
-Snodgrass 1968.

* Note: Most published references to Harrison Begay state that the translation of his name Haskay Yahne Yah is "Warrior Who Walked Up to His Enemy." The correct translation is "The Wandering Boy." Thanks to Jim C. Hunt for bringing this to our attention. Hunt's father spent the better part of his life on the Navajo reservation. He taught the Navajo language at Northland Pioneer College in Holbrook, AZ, and was beyond fluent in the language. It was he who told the younger Hunt the correct translation. Our thanks to the Hunts for this enlightenment.

Harrison Begay Obituary

We were sorry to hear today that Navajo artist Harrison Begay passed away on Tuesday of this week (August 21, 2012) at the age of 95 years. He is survived by his siblings Alice Clah, Anita Begay, Mary Joy Begay, Cecil Blackrock and Sarah Brown. His burial will take place at the Ft. Defiance Veterans Cemetery, Arizona.

Begay was one of the early 20th century Navajo artists and the last of a long line of Southwest Native American artists. We know of only two others of his generation who are still with us and they are Geronima Montoya (Potsunu) of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, who is now 97 years old and Navajo artist Beatien Yazz who is now 84 years of age. It is sad to see them go but they have all left us some remarkable art by which to remember them.

Glenna Goodacre is a well-known, perhaps the best known, female sculpture artist. Her sculptural works appear in public, private, municipal and museum collections throughout the United States. Probably her most well-known sculpture is the Vietnam Women's Memorial installed in Washington, D.C. in 1993. She was selected to create the monumental Irish Memorial in Philadelphia which was installed in 2003, a larger than life-size sculpture of Ronald Reagan for the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, the design of the Sacagawea dollar coin for the U. S. government, and many more monumental works.

Goodacre was born in Lubbock, Texas, but lives in Santa Fe. She had been represented by Nedra Matteucci Galleries in Santa Fe for over a decade with annual exhibits of her works until her serious brain trauma following a fall at her home in 2007, which put a temporary end to her art career. Goodacre made many monumental bronze sculptures, larger than life, but also made table top or pedestal sculptures such as this one of a woman and child dancing.

Glenna Goodacre is a well-known, perhaps the best known, female sculpture artist. Her sculptural works appear in public, private, municipal and museum collections throughout the United States. Probably her most well-known sculpture is the Vietnam Women's Memorial installed in Washington, D.C. in 1993. She was selected to create the monumental Irish Memorial in Philadelphia which was installed in 2003, a larger than life-size sculpture of Ronald Reagan for the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, the design of the Sacagawea dollar coin for the U. S. government, and many more monumental works.

Goodacre was born in Lubbock, Texas, but lives in Santa Fe. She had been represented by Nedra Matteucci Galleries in Santa Fe for over a decade with annual exhibits of her works until her serious brain trauma following a fall at her home in 2007, which put a temporary end to her art career. Goodacre made many monumental bronze sculptures, larger than life, but also made table top or pedestal sculptures such as this one of a woman and child dancing.

This sculpture was issued in 1991 in an edition of 35, of which this is number 14. It is signed by the artist.

Condition: original condition
Provenance: from the estate of a Colorado collector of fine art

Title: Bronze Sculpture "Dance Day"
Artist: Glenna Goodacre (1939-present)
Category: Bronze
Origin: European-American Artists
Medium: bronze sculpture, wood base
Size: 11-7/8" and 13-3/4" with wood pedestal
Item # C3356C

Jicarilla Apache basketry covers a long span of time, but very little is known of their work before they were settled on a reservation in 1887 in northern New Mexico. All Jicarilla baskets are of coil weave, usually of sumac, but sometimes of willow. The Jicarilla Apache women generally made large deep basket bowls for winnowing or storage. They were designed with elements of commercial dyes, so fading is quite normal on a basket of some age.

The Jicarilla Apache Nation is located in the mountains and rugged mesas of northern New Mexico. The landscape offers diverse scenery of Ponderosa pine forests in mountainous terrain and piñon (pine tree) mesas with sage brush flats. Dulce, New Mexico, is the Jicarilla Apache Nation Headquarters.

This basket is typical of the style made for sale to collectors and visitors to the Jicarilla village. It is oval shape and the outer two rows at the top of the basket were extended to form handles at the two ends. The edge of the rim was finished in a herringbone weave.

Condition: Very good condition
Provenance: from the collection of Katherine H. Rust
Recommended Reading: Southwestern Indian Baskets: Their History and Their Makers by Andrew Hunter Whiteford

Title: Oval Shaped Serving Basket with Handles
Weaver Unknown
Category: Bowls and Other Forms
Origin: Apache
Medium: natural materials
Size: 18-1/4" long x 13-3/4" wide x 5-1/4" deep
Item # C3218V

Gustav Baumann was born in Germany but immigrated to the United States as a child with his parents. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and had lived for a time in Indiana.

Baumann and several other artists decided to see firsthand the reportedly light, clear air of New Mexico that they had been hearing about from other Chicago artists, and in 1918, he settled in Santa Fe where, for over fifty years, he participated in the art community. He created colored wood blocks from which he made prints, and also became a carver of saints and marionettes, working the Marionette Theater, and carving his "little people." He also did numerous paintings in bright colors.

This woodcut is of a Torrey Pine of California. Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is located within San Diego city limits and yet remains one of the wildest stretches of land on the Southern California coast. Because of the efforts and foresight of the people in this area, 2000 acres of land are as they were before San Diego was developed-with the chaparral plant community, the rare and elegant Torrey pine trees, miles of unspoiled beaches, and a lagoon that is vital to migrating seabirds.

Baumann captured the Torrey Pine in its splendid elegance. Most of the image is black but hints of green highlight the pine. The print is titled in lower left and signed in lower right. It is State I, #72/125 and dated -61.

Condition: appears to be in original condition but has not been examined out of the frame
Provenance: from the collection of a gentleman from Colorado

Title: Original Wood Block Print "Torrey Pine"
Artist: Gustav Baumann (1881-1971)
Category: Prints
Origin: European-American Artists
Medium: wood block print
Size: 13-1/2" x 13-7/8" image; 19-3/4" x 19-3/4" framed
Item # C3354F

Garnet Pavatea was known as Flower Girl and she was a Hopi-Tewa from the Tewa Village on First Mesa. Her dad, Dewakuku, was Hopi and her mother was Tewa. Following tradition, Garnet was of her mother's clan.

Hopi artisans owe much to Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton, co-founder of the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff. She was instrumental in creating the Hopi Craftsman Exhibition in the early 1930s with the intent of fostering production of quality work. She was concerned that traders were content to accept and sell mediocre work from Hopi craftsmen and were not interested in educating the public on quality crafts. She organized the craft exhibit for the July 4th weekend every year and it has served her intent to greatly increase interest in quality Hopi crafts.

Garnet Pavatea was a long-time entrant in the craft exhibit and won many awards by doing so. She also seemed to be a favorite of the Museum of Northern Arizona. She was often a demonstrator at the Craftsman Exhibition. For a number of years, Adobe Gallery had a standing order from the Museum of Northern Arizona for any Garnet Pavatea pottery available.

This seed jar of the Sikyatki-shape is a shining example of her expert craftsmanship in vessel construction and her artistic talent in designing and painting a jar. She extended the red paint on the rim down into the interior of the jar, a step not necessary, but one that demonstrates her attention to detail. The jar was constructed from all native materials and fired in a traditional outdoor firing. It is signed Garnet Pavatea on the underside.

Condition: the jar must be at least 40 years old and is in original condition.
Provenance: from a gentleman collector from Colorado
Recommended Reading: Canvas of Clay: Seven Centuries of Hopi Ceramic Art by Edwin L. Wade and Allan Cooke

Subject: Hopi Sikyatki-style Seed Jar
Artist / Potter: Garnet Pavatea (1915-1981) Flower Girl
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Hopi Pueblo
Medium: clay, pigment
Size: 2-3/4" tall x 8" diameter
Item # C3354C

The Navajo Feather Dance is one that entails a drummer who, during the dance, beats upon an overturned basket to provide the beat for the dancer. To the rhythm of the basket-drum, dancers begin a dance beating time with a pair of square frames, hung with feathers. There can be any number of dancers, both male and female.

In this pair of original paintings, Begay has featured a single male and a single female, each its own painting and each framed separately in matched framing style. Both paintings are signed with Begay's Native name as well as his English name.

Condition: both appear to be in original condition

Provenance: from the collection of a gentleman from Colorado

Recommended Reading: Southwest Indian Painting: A Changing Art by Clara Lee Tanner

Subject: Diné (Navajo) Pair of Original Paintings of Feather Dancers

Artist: Harrison Begay (1914-2012) Haskay Yahne Yah - The Wandering Boy
Category: Paintings
Origin: Diné - Navajo Nation
Medium: gouache
Size: 9-3/8" x 6-1/4" image each; 16-1/2" x 13-3/8" framed each
Item # C3354G

Silas and Bertha Claw broke with Navajo pottery tradition and the customs of their fellow tradesmen. Their forms remained true to tradition but they used an appliqué technique for design elements and colorful oil or acrylic paints for highlights. They were of the Shonto/Cow Springs region of the Navajo Reservation. Silas passed away in 2002 but we have found no record of Bertha passing away.

Around 1968, Silas began working in clay even though pottery making, like basket making, was considered women's work. Bertha assisted him from the very beginning. The Claws made a variety of pottery shapes: traditional-style cooking jars, wedding vases, triple-spouted jars, and ceramic beads.

It is not known which one did which part of the production but it is believed Bertha would form the vessels and Silas would decorate them with a variety of appliquéd and incised plant and animal motifs-usually in high relief and occasionally in full round. These motifs depicted a wide range of subjects that included cactus plants and blooming yuccas, oak leaves with acorns, ears of corn, a menagerie of domestic animals, and horned toads. Silas often applied oil paint in a range of colors to portions of the appliqué to make them even more realistic. He then would coat the vessel with varnish.

This wedding vessel shows a procession of Navajo Yei dancers executed in appliqué on the body of the vessel. On the other side of the vessel is a Navajo hogan with smoke from the chimney. The wedding vessel is an older one by this couple and is signed S.B. Claw on the underside.

Condition: original condition
Provenance: from the John Barry collection of California
Recommended Reading:
- Navajo Folk Art: The People Speak by Chuck and Jan Rosenak.
- "The Navajo Pottery of Silas and Bertha Claw" by Ed Dobbins and Scott C. Russell, American Indian Art Magazine, Spring 2007. Vol. 32, No. 2.

Title: Diné (Navajo) Wedding Vase with Yei and Hogan Designs
Artists / Potters: Silas and Bertha Claw
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Diné - Navajo Nation
Medium: clay, paint
Size: 9-1/8" tall x 5" diameter
Item # C3321E

Ada Suina has always been recognized as one of the premier storyteller figurine potters. Her male figurines, such as this one, have a strong, chiseled face, and the children have happy carefree expressions. She still uses all natural materials and fires the figurines outdoors in the traditional manner.

Ada resumed making pottery figurines a few years ago after several years of not doing so following the death of her husband. She relied so much on his help in digging the clay and working it to a point where she could form the figurines. Now, at age 83, she has to do everything by herself, therefore it is taking significantly more time to complete a piece. She is not very actively making pottery at this time.

This figurine is an older one of hers, probably more than 10 years old, but is in original condition. It is an excellent example of her work. The male has his mouth open telling stories to the children on his lap. He is dressed in his finest traditional clothing and has a red headband over his hair. All three children are boys.

Condition: original condition
Provenance: from a gentleman from Colorado
Recommended Reading:  The Pueblo Storyteller: Development of a Figurative Ceramic Tradition by Barbara Babcock, et al.

Title: Cochiti Pueblo Male Storyteller with 3 Children
Artist / Potter: Ada Suina (1930-present)
Category: Figurines
Origin: Cochiti Pueblo
Medium: clay, pigment
Size: 6" tall x 5" wide x 6-3/4" deep
Item # C3354A

The significance of Navajo and Pueblo textiles transcends simple artistic expression. Through the spiritual activity of weaving, male and female weavers beautify their world and integrate their art into the web of life. Both the Navajo and Pueblo believe that the culture hero Spider Woman has taught them to create with patience, understanding, and sensitivity. Yet over the centuries, Navajo and Pueblo textiles have developed along distinct paths that reflect the unique historical and individual experiences within each culture. The textiles collection of the Southwest Museum illustrates the rich interplay between these two peoples and their art.

Southwest Textiles tells the fascinating story of the history and evolution of Navajo and Pueblo fabric arts. Over 250 outstanding examples from the Southwest Museum's collection are reproduced in full color, along with 57 details of these works and 49 historical photographs. Also included are absorbing accounts of the early collectors of these superb textiles and some of the colorful individuals who were instrumental in founding the Southwest Museum and shaping its collections.

An accompanying CD-ROM includes comprehensive charts of the fiber and construction analysis performed on each of the textiles illustrated in the book. The charts are prefaced by an overview of the analysis. Also on the CD is a complete inventory of the museum's southwestern textiles collection.
-Excerpt from the inside cover

Title: Southwest Textiles: Weavings of the Navajo and Pueblo
Author: Kathleen Whitaker
Subject: Native American Textiles
Item # 0-295-98226-8
Date Published: 2002/08/01
Size: 432 pages

The plan for a painting studio at the Santa Fe Indian School had been four years in the making before it finally opened in the fall of 1932. Dorothy Dunn was in charge of the art department. It was in the second year of The Studio that Dorothy Dunn first mentioned Emeliano Yepa and she described him as painting pageantry. He was one of three students selected to paint murals in true fresco for The Studio and one of the residence halls. One of the mural paintings by Yepa was "A Summer Dance" (Corn Dance).

In the fourth year (1935-36), a Museum of New Mexico exhibit was organized to present to the public works by the students. Frederic H. Douglas's review of the show included the following statement "Much fine art will come from this area, with its strong tradition in painting. No.125 by E. Yepa, displays the work of a painter who clings, at least in his pictures, to a style seen in the first days of the movement. His conservatism is to be commended, for while progress is desirable, a brake is often useful."

An analysis of the works of all the students in the fifth year (1936-37) stated of Yepa "Emeliano Yepa had a somewhat stilted style which enhanced the formal patterns of ceremonial and small Jemez scenes he chose to paint. His brilliant palette brought animation and a note of daring to his balanced, conservative compositions."

The last mention of Yepa by Dorothy Dunn, in her book published in 1968, stated that "Emiliano Yepa, another fine artist of Jemez, is no longer living." There was no date given for his death. Jeanne Snodgrass, in her Biographical Directory published in 1968 lists the artist as Emilina rather than Emeliano but has no information regarding birth, death, or age. She states that the artist attended the Indian School from 1932 to 1937 and was included in a National Gallery of Art exhibit in Washington, DC in 1953.

This painting is of a Jemez Pueblo Buffalo Dance, a dance often seen during the fall and winter seasons. The costuming presented by Yepa is a very good representation of what one sees today at a Buffalo Dance. The men wear buffalo head covers and canvas skirts with a serpent encircling the mid-section and tin cones dangling from the hem section. The female wears a traditional pueblo dress and carries feathers in her hand. The painting is signed E. Yepa in lower right and on verso is rubber stamped The Studio U. S. Indian School, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Condition: very good condition with only a few minor flakes of missing paint
Provenance: sent to us by a gentleman from Colorado
Reference and Recommended Reading: American Indian Painting of the Southwest and Plains Areas by Dorothy Dunn

Subject: Original Painting of a Jemez Pueblo Buffalo Dance
Artist: Emeliano Yepa (c.1920s- c.1950s)
Category: Paintings
Origin: Jemez Pueblo
Medium: watercolor
Size: 11-3/8" x 15-1/2" image; 16-3/4" x 20-3/4" framed
Item # C3355

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.

Condition: original condition
Provenance: from the collection of a Midwest collector
Recommended Reading: Southwest Indian Baskets: Their History and Their Makers by Andrew Hunter Whiteford

Title: Collection of 21 Miniature Southwest Indian Baskets
Unidentified Artists
Category: Miniature
Origin: Native American Basketry
Medium: grasses
Size: ¼" to 2" diameters
Item # C3353

As an adult, at the time of joining the Navy during World War II, John Liggett Meigs (1916 - 2003) discovered that as a one-year old he had been "kidnapped" by his biological father and his father's mistress, moved from Chicago, and had his name changed to MacMillan. He never saw his biological mother again. Over the next several years, he and his family moved many times, finally settling in San Antonio, Texas, where Meigs first developed his interest in art, a career that lasted the remainder of his life, but not before many interruptions for various adventures.

Following the death of his father, he changed his name back to his original name of Meigs and moved to California with his foster mother and attended the University of Redlands. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Los Angeles, then a reporter in Hawaii, then architectural work in designing houses, then textile design which led him to become one of the first designers of aloha shirts. He then served in the Navy and following his discharge, lived in Florida for a couple years and established a lounge still in existence as the Trade Winds Tropical Lounge.

Meigs left Florida and went back to Hawaii, and that is when he met artist Peter Hurd from San Patricio, New Mexico. Meigs continued moving around, doing different jobs, but eventually settled down in San Patricio and became a lifelong companion and friend of Peter Hurd. When Meigs settled in San Patricio, he bought a small, old adobe house, which, over the next forty years, he expanded until it grew to twenty-three rooms; Peter Hurd dubbed it "Fort Meigs." His association with Hurd and his wife Henriette flourished, as did Meig's artistic accomplishments and his social connections.

In his artistic pursuits, Meigs worked in a variety of mediums, to include oil, watercolor, ink and photography. He had over fifty, one-man exhibitions, to include in Santa Fe, New Mexico; New York City; Lubbock, Texas; Roswell, New Mexico; and Honolulu, Hawaii. His subject material was primarily either landscape or architectural. In early 1960, he was commissioned by the Society of California Pioneers to paint a series of watercolors of Victorian homes in San Francisco, those paintings being exhibited at the Society's headquarters in San Francisco in June 1960. In 1997, the Honolulu Academy of Arts hosted an exhibit of aloha shirts with his designs from the late 1930s and 1940s. His art, to include his aloha shirts, is in private, corporate and academic collections.

This watercolor painting is typical of his work during his association with Peter Hurd. One familiar with Hurd's paintings can clearly see a similar style in this work. It is signed and dated 1969 in lower right. Research into auction records of Meig's sales indicated that only two of his paintings have been auctioned in the past. That is an indication that fans of his art, who have collected over the past 40 years, are keeping his paintings in the family and not interested in selling them. One cannot say anything more complimentary about an artist than that.

Condition: appears to be in original condition but has not been examined out of the frame. The mat material does appear to be acid-free so there should be no damage to the painting from acid-burn.
Provenance: brought to us by a client from Albuquerque
Reference Material: biographical information provided above was excerpted from the website of AskART.

Title: Original Watercolor "Hondo Valley Landscape"
Artist: John Liggett Meigs (1916 - 2003)
Category: Paintings
Origin: European-American Artists
Medium: watercolor
Size: 16-1/4" x 21-1/2" image; 26-1/2" x 31-7/8" framed
Item # C3351

This marvelous floor rug was made entirely from native hand-spun wool fleeces of un-dyed and aniline-dyed yarns. The variegated background field is a blend of grays and browns achieved by carding white, black, and brown wools in small lots. By doing this, each lot will then vary slightly in color. This is the essence of a fine early 20th century Navajo rug. The stacked-diamond design elements are strong and bold, yet uncluttered, allowing one to enjoy the field of the rug as well as the designs. A double border of brown and red provides the frame for this wonderful piece.

Condition: it is in extraordinary condition for a rug of approximately 90 years of age. It is very useable as a floor rug.
Provenance: Adobe Gallery sold this textile to a couple in Texas in 1989 and now they are making it available for another collector to enjoy.
Recommended Reading: Navajo Weaving: Three Centuries of Change by Kate Peck Kent (This book is out of print and we have only 3 copies available for sale)

Title: Navajo (Diné) Wool Rug from the Ganado Area
Weaver Unknown
Category: Navajo Textiles & Blankets
Origin: Diné - Navajo Nation
Medium: wool, red dye
Size: 5'8" x 4'2"
Item # C3352B

Occasionally, a painting of outstanding quality arrives at the gallery and we are unable to locate any biographical information on the artist. That is the case with this painting. The quality of the work is that of a trained exceptional artist, but he or she is not recorded in the literature.

The texture of the applied oil paints and the shading achieved by the artist identify that this is not the work of an amateur, but that of a true artist. The artist captured the relaxed attitude of the subject as he leans on a wall waiting his turn to rope an animal, perhaps at a rodeo.

The painting is signed in lower right. There is no date. It is framed in a vintage frame which might be original to the painting.

The following is an excerpt sent to us regarding E. W. Sork. We are greatly indebted to this gentleman for his diligence in searching out who this artist was and then sharing the information with us:

I own an original painting by the same artist E. W. Sork; it depicts rowboats on a lake or river. This was in my mother's family since least the 1940's; for the last year or so I've been trying to research information on this "unknown" artist. I could never find information showing their complete name so I recently thought to instead try several genealogy sites using their initials and last name. My mother's family lived in Philadelphia so it was a natural guess that the artist might have some association with Philly.

Using the Mormon site www.familysearch.org I found a birth and death record for an Elsie W. Sork; her middle name was derived from her father Morris W. Wolpert. She was born in 1895, lived in Philadelphia, and died in the year 2000. Having found the artist's complete name I then found a record for the PA Museum and School of Industrial Art (in Philadelphia). Their website shows a commencement exercise that took place in June 1928 -- and lists the degrees and awards that were issued. Elise W. Sork's name is shown as a student in their Department of Art.

I believe then that the artist's signature of E.W. Sork must have been by this woman Elsie W. Sork. The clues were her name, the fact that she was a resident of Philadelphia where my mother's family lived, the fact that she graduated from the PA Museum School of Art, and the date of her graduation. I have not been able to find information about her descendants but will possibly attempt to locate a family member who can 100% confirm this attribution.

Subject: Original Oil Painting of a Cowboy by Elsie W. Sork
Artist: Elsie W. Sork (1895-2000)
Category: Paintings
Origin: European-American Artists
Medium: Oil on Canvas Board
Size: 15-1/2" x 10-1/2" image; 19-1/2" x 14-1/2" framed
Item # 22155

Talking God is one of the Navajo Yeibichai, a main deity. He is unusual in that he is the one Navajo deity who is compassionate and an advocate for mankind. It is he who chastises others attempting to harm man. He appears among his people as a bluebird, a symbol of peace and happiness. Corn Girl is mentioned as his daughter. When leaving, he told the people that they would never see him again but that they would know he was nearby when they heard the chatter of birds.

Talking God wears a robe and mask of white buckskin. On his face a cornstalk symbol grows from his mouth upward between his eyes. This is symbolic of his transformation from white corn. He controls the growth of corn. In this carving, he wears an evergreen ruff around his neck and long red hair drapes from his head. A fan of eagle feathers spreads behind his head and a group of feathers covers the back of the mask. His high-top moccasins are tied at the tops with woven ties. He has silver buttons sewed down his shirt sleeves and is bedecked with turquoise jewelry. He holds a lamb in his right hand.

This carving is of the quality of many of the finest works of Hopi Katsina doll carvers of the period. If it were not a Yeibichai impersonation, one would assume it to be a Hopi carving of the finest quality. It was completed around the year 2000, a time when the artist started carving images of Yeis, skinwalkers and other objects of Navajo mythology not routinely presented by other Diné. The quality is well beyond that of other Navajo folk art carvings.

Condition: overall in original condition except for the loss of one feather on the head and loss of a portion of the moccasin ties on the left leg.
Provenance: from the collection of Jan and Chuck Rosenak
Recommended Reading: Navajo Folk Art by Chuck and Jan Rosenak

Title: Navajo (Diné) Wood Folk Art Carving "Talking God"
Artist / Carver: Lawrence Jacquez (1965- )
Category: Other Items
Origin: Diné - Navajo Nation
Medium: wood, pigment
Size: 12-3/4" tall; 16-3/4" with pedestal
Item # C3347C

Everyone should know that Helen Cordero made the very first storyteller figurine in 1964. She created this first pottery figurine of an adult male with numerous children clinging to every part of him. This was the beginning of the "storyteller" figurine and was inspired by memories of her grandfather years earlier-a tribute to him-who was a storyteller at the pueblo.

Since the figurine was in tribute to her grandfather, all of her storyteller figurines are male. She never made a female storyteller. Her female figurines are called other names, such as Singing Mother. Cordero used to say that the other potters who made female storyteller figurines didn't understand her intent. However, Alexander Girard, the great folk art collector, did understand this significance of her efforts and encouraged her to create more by purchasing all she made in the early days.

Helen Cordero, Cochiti Pueblo, who passed away on July 24, 1994, was truly an original artist. Unable to fashion pottery vessels in a manner with which she could be satisfied, she changed her course to figurative pottery, rather than give up altogether. Little did she know that she was starting a new tradition and changed the course in Pueblo pottery production. Now, all the Pueblos make storyteller figurines-not just Cochiti Pueblo. A storyteller made by her is to be a treasured item in any collection.

What is known today as a Storyteller figurine had its beginning in 1964 from the hands of Cochiti Pueblo potter Helen Cordero. Alexander Girard, the noted architect and folk art collector, saw a figurine by Cordero at a Santo Domingo feast day arts and crafts booth and requested that she make more and larger ones and bring them to him. He continued to encourage her to make larger ones with more children. When Cordero began thinking about his requests, she made a male storyteller with several children based on her remembering that her grandfather was a storyteller at the pueblo. Her creation, based on her grandfather, was the beginning of the storyteller figurine tradition at Cochiti Pueblo. In the almost five decades since her creation, the storyteller figurine tradition has blossomed.

Today, many potters at almost all the pueblos make figurines, some male and some female, but Cordero continued only making male storytellers because of the connection to her grandfather. She never made a female storyteller. Her female figurines are called other names, such as Singing Mother, Hopi Maiden or other names. Cordero used to say that the potters who made female figurines and called them storytellers didn't understand her intent.

This figurine is a testament to Cordero's talent. It is beautifully sculpted and painted. The single child sitting in the adult's lap has his hands crossed over his chest as he stares down at his dog who is sitting on the leg of the adult. The adult's shirt is beautifully designed and decorated. His hair hangs down in braids over his shoulders. He wears the old traditional white cotton pants and cow hide moccasins.

Condition: original condition
Provenance: Adobe Gallery sold this figurine to the current owners in 1999 and they have now brought it back to us to sell for them.
Recommended Reading: The Pueblo Storyteller: Development of a Figurative Ceramic Tradition by Barbara Babcock.

Title: Cochiti Pueblo Male Storyteller with a Child and Dog
Artist / Potter: Helen Cordero (1915 - 1994)
Category: Figurines
Origin: Cochiti Pueblo
Medium: clay, pigment
Size: 7-1/2" tall x 4-1/2" wide x 6-3/4" deep
Item # C3352A