Now that Summer is finally here (more of less), people are finally able to enjoy spending leisure time out of doors. We’re fortunate to live on land that is its own garden, in the shadow of Nature’s own sculpture, otherwise known as the Sangre de Cristo Range. There is remarkably little visual interference here: no overhead power lines, telephone poles, or other obstructions to the view. And for the most part, the garden itself is naturally occurring — we move through our days among the flowering aspens and weeping willows, the red willow and chamisa, the piñon and cedar and sage.
The garden of our lives is healing to eyes, body, and spirit alike.
In town, of course, people have to carve out their own bits of natural beauty, and often choose to populate those bits with art that lends a harmonious spirit to the little plots of land. The sculpture garden is very much a thing in this area, in spaces public and private, and styles range from industrial-sized, larger then life carvings and mixed-media sculptures to small pieces set to watch over a birdbath or flowerbox.
Now, it’s warm enough for people to sit in the gardens, no matter the size, and enjoy the gifts of the season.
With that in mind, I thought it might be appropriate to use this month’s Friday Feature series to create our own virtual sculpture garden: a garden in miniature, to be sure, but one incorporating manifest spirits of great beauty and power.
Here today, the clouds are moving in, drifting slowly, trailing a dove-gray veil over the sky behind them. It’s a day for softness and subtlety, when the wisdom of old souls and of those closer to the earth is welcome.
It’s a perfect day to surround ourselves with the delicate spirit of Ned Archuleta’s pink alabaster carvings.
We have a few of his full-sized pieces remaining in inventory, although his largest and boldest have sold now. Those that remain are, like the wisdom they represent, quiet and understated, but no less powerful for their absence of flamboyance.
Two are elder spirits; two are animal spirits; one, the last, is a synthesis of both. All of today’s featured pieces can be found in our Other Artists: Sculpture gallery here on the site.
Shown at top, a traditional elder, arms open and extended beneath his blanket:
This representation of a Pueblo elder in traditional dress, complete with blanket, jewelry, and eagle feather, is the work of master carver Ned Archuleta (Taos Pueblo). This one really shows Ned’s ability to coax spirit from stone by following its immanent form, and features great attention to detail: the lines of the blanket, the strands of beads, the markings on the eagle feather in the hair. Formed out of a pink alabaster, it sits atop a pine wood base. Stands 12.25″ high including base (sculpture, 11.25″; base 1″). The sculpture is 6.25″ wide by 1.75″ deep; the base, 6.5″ wide by 3″ deep (all dimensions approximate).
Pink alabaster on pine base
$375 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Weight requires special handling; extra shipping charges apply
It’s a beautiful evocation of wisdom, arms open in embracing acceptance.
Perhaps he overlooks a pond like the one we have here. Now, it’s filled with water from this week’s irrigation; dragonflies will dart and dance above its surface today, while the frogs will sing their own song after dusk. It’s neither large enough nor steadily-filled enough to serve as a home to local fish, but the mountain trout, a staple of the indigenous food supply, swim in the lakes and rivers not far up from here. We can imagine that they populate the pond in our virtual garden:
Master carver Ned Archuleta (Taos Pueblo) has brought a staple of Pueblo foodways into being, following the form and flow of a solid piece of Colorado alabaster. If you look closely, you can see the flowing lines of the matrix in the cool, silky stone, giving the appearance of scales and fins. The ebb and flow of the carving lends motion to the piece.
Pink alabaster on pink alabaster base
$375 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Requires special handling; extra shipping charges apply
On the opposite side, another elder stands, this one a bit more stern of visage. He seems a protector, a guardian, one concerned with the safety of the people, physical and spiritual alike:
Master carver Ned Archuleta (Taos Pueblo) works in classic Pueblo fashion — with the stone, not against it. The result is an iconic form of a Pueblo elder, wrapped in the traditional blanket and wearing an eagle feather. Pink alabaster mounted on cedar base. Sculpture stands 13-1/4 inches high including base (carving 11-3/4″ high; base, 1-1/2″ high); carving 5 inches across at widest point by 1-5/8″ deep; base 5-7/8 inches cross by 3.5 inches deep. All dimensions approximate.
Pink alabaster on cedar base
$375 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Weight requires special handling; extra shipping charges apply
Near this elder stands an animal spirit, one that represents strength and courage and steadfastness and survival. It’s Buffalo, a hoof-clan relation who has fed and clothed and sheltered and even healed the people since the dawn of time:
Buffalo stands solidly on your shelf or mantel, as rendered here by master carver Ned Archuleta (Taos Pueblo). The back of the body and the face are polished smooth; the head, shoulders, and forelegs are roughened to evoke his curly mane. The horns are carved of deep-red polished pipestone. Approximate dimensions are 7″ in length X 5″ in height.
Pink alabaster; pipestone
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Requires special handling; extra shipping charges apply
Of course, no genuine Native sculpture garden would be complete without a piece that recognizes and honors the relationship between spirits that assume human and animal form, and the melding of them into one. It’s a symbiotic relationship in wholly physical terms, but also in spiritual ones; it’s why we refer to the animals as our relatives, rather than as [inherently lesser] pieces of property. They have much to teach, much to share, and the wisest among us will welcome their wisdom:
In his trademark style, master carver Ned Archuleta (Taos Pueblo) melds together the spirits of a traditional elder and an animal into one mystical piece. Here, it’s the elder and a bear, traditional symbol of medicine and power, rendered in smooth, flowing, silken lines of clay-colored alabaster shot with bits of warm golden-hued streaks in the stone. About six inches in overall length, it sits on a wooden base.
Alabaster on wooden base
$225 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Requires special handling; extra shipping charges apply
Taken together, Ned’s pieces provide a beautiful, harmonious arrangement placed at the Four Sacred Directions. For traditions that recognize an inward direction, the fifth piece serves as a perfect, and perfectly complex, center.
Next week, we’ll rebuild our garden with symbols and spirits of sand and sun. For today, though, let’s rest in the shadow of the soft power of benevolent spirits.
~ Aji
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.
