It finally snowed yesterday evening — a dusting only, little more than an inch in most areas, but snow nonetheless. We awakened this morning to still-gray skies, violet clouds limned by the brilliant dawn light.
For a few moments, the earth turned pink, the snow tinted shiny pale shades of coral and rose, until the sun cleared the cloudbank and sparked a rapid thaw.
But for all that the sun shone brilliantly, the day never really warmed; the winds saw to that. Out of doors, we were bundled tightly, coats wrapped close, and we bent our bodies against the wind as we went about our day.
The chill seems most fierce when the sun shines brightest.
On such days, now less than a week before the equinox and the whole world weary of winter, we have to dig deep to find the strength to stand tall. At such times, we call upon power where we find it.
Today’s featured work, a sculpture by one of the Pueblo’s masters, perfect embodies this dynamic, manifesting as both challenge and triumph. From its description in the Other Artists: Sculpture gallery here on the site:
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
One feature of traditional Pueblo carving is its adherence to natural forms: Carvers tend to follow the line of the stone (or wood), allowing the medium to speak through the details, rather than trying to force from it words that are not there. Ned long ago perfected such techniques, and his work is known for its flowing, graceful forms and shapes and for a spectacular sense of motion and dimensionality.
Today’s work is a perfect illustration: elder’s face and body unmistakable, yet summoned with a few elegant strokes; movements clear, as the figure bends forward, simultaneously wrapping itself in a traditional blanket. It evokes a sense of warmth from the stone’s cool surface, a sense of power and animation from its solidity. The fact that it rises so harmoniously from the cedar bases, as though emerging organically from it, calls to mind the earthy power of the materials themselves, manifest as the spiritual power a traditional elder holds.
Ned’s work has always been among my favorites, in large degree because of its graceful beauty and spare and simple power. His figurative pieces remind us that in tradition there is strength . . . and the earth provides both.
~ Aji
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