It’s December 1st.
When I was a child, knowing nothing of solstices and equinoxes and formal calendaring, I thought of this day as the official first day of winter. As a practical matter, of course, winter had already arrived; where I’m from, the snows usually began in earnest in November and continued for at least another four months.
According to the “real” calendar, it’s still autumn (although here right now, it might as well be May; highs are shooting into the fifties). It seems distinctly unseasonal outside, making it hard to sustain any sort of winter holiday mood.
It’s a date that’s important for another reason: It’s the 26th annual World AIDS Day, marked by the World Health Organization and governments around the world. Had December 1st fallen on a different day this year, and had I more time to produce something fitting, I might have used today’s post to explore the topic of HIV and AIDS in our Native communities, a topic about which I’ve written elsewhere. But time has been in exceedingly short supply lately, and it’s a subject that deserves to be handled with depth and breadth, with justice and respect. It’ll remain a topic to be discussed, but for another day.
Because December 1st has fallen this year on Monday. Specifically, the Monday after Thanksgiving, which means that it is the [relatively] new so-called Cyber Monday, the day when the buying public is urged to do its holiday shopping entirely online. Native artists and merchants can be no exception; to survive, we have had to adapt to changing markets and mores, and indeed, for many indigenous artists, most of today’s business is conducted online. So while Cyber Monday presents nothing new for us at this point, it does provide an opportunity to showcase the work of Wings and our other artists via this particular business model, and we cannot afford not to take advantage of that.
For the last few weeks, I’ve chosen to devote Monday posts to smaller, more modestly-priced items by our other artists — small carvings, fetishes, miniature pottery, leatherwork, etc.— items that are perfect for small gifts for friends and loved ones. And so today, we’ll continue that series, but with a broader collection of pieces from which to choose: the small pots that we have in inventory, by a broad range of Taos Pueblo potters. Some are true miniatures; others, simply small. All have their own distinctive identities and characteristics.
We begin with the artist who created the piece shown above, who is Wings’s niece.
CAMILLE BERNAL
We first introduced you to Camille Bernal a couple of months ago, with an in-depth profile of her work. Camille has taken Pueblo pottery in whole new directions. Her work is meticulous, strong yet very, very delicate. That strength and fragility come through in her painted patterns, and echo the same qualities in the very clayware itself.
Of her pieces that we currently have in inventory, this is her uncle’s favorite. It doesn’t qualify as a “miniature,” precisely; it’s simply a small vase, perfect in its compact size. From its description in the Other Artists: Pottery Gallery here on the site:
This untitled miniature vase by Camille Bernal (Taos Pueblo) is one of Wings’s personal favorites: Fired from red area clay, its sturdy round base slopes gracefully upward, like a traditional kiva fireplace chimney, into a square opening onto the world. The exterior is a paler peach shade, accented with long-stemmed flowers tipped in gentle blues and grays and whites, stretching toward the sky. Stands 4″ high by 3.5″ across at widest point, with an opening at the square lip of 7/8″ (dimensions approximate). (Side view shown at the top of this post, and at the link above.)
Tewa clay; plant-based paints
$180 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Requires special handling; extra shipping charges apply
A couple of Camille’s pieces that we have in inventory, however, can properly be described as miniatures. One is this little open bowl, ringed round with poppies to brighten the bleakest winter day:
From its description:
Poppies in miniature are the theme of this little traditional-style bowl by Camille Bernal (Taos Pueblo). Hand-coiled of red clay, the bowl’s exterior is painted in a soft earth shade, with long-stemmed poppies dancing in petaled regalia of blues and reds, stretching sunward around the bowl. Stands 2.25″ high by 3.75″ across at the widest point, with an opening of 2-3/8″ at the lip (dimensions approximate). (Other views shown at the link above.)
Tewa clay; plant-based paints
$135 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Requires special handling; extra shipping charges apply
The other miniature is this tiny pot with beautiful rose-colored scarabs placed at the directions, separated by delicate blue flowers. For many cultures around the world, scarabs have been thought to possess and embody mystical properties and powers, and these illustrate the concept well:
From its description:
At the Four Directions, tiny scarabs rest among delicate blue flowers on this miniature traditional-style pot by Camille Bernal. Hand-coiled of earthy red clay, the little pot bears a silky slip in an ivory shade, accented with scarabs and plant life in soft natural colors. Pot stands 2.25″ high by 2.75″ across at the widest point, with a 1.25″ opening across the lip (dimensions approximate). (Top view shown at the link above.)
Tewa clay; plant-based paints
$125 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Requires special handling; extra shipping charges apply
Next, we visit an artist who specializes in art versions of the Pueblo mugs used traditionally here.
JESSIE MARCUS
Jessie crafts her pottery in something of a vintage style: coiled, shaped, incised, and fired, but without slips, painted accents, or high polish. They’re meant to evoke an earlier time and traditional ways. My personal favorite, of course, is the one pictured immediately above, for what are no doubt obvious reasons. From its description:
This vintage-style mug by Jessie Marcus (Taos Pueblo) is made in the traditional fashion, to be cupped in one’s hands like those used ceremonially. Hand-coiled of micaceous clay, it features a horse’s head extending from the rim, the tail flowing down the opposite side of the mug.
Micaceous clay
$125 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Jessie also created a series of Buffalo Dancer mugs:
From its description:
A buffalo dancer steps along the body of this old-style mug, hand-coiled by Jessie Marcus of the local micaceous clay. He wears the traditional horned headdress, mane texturized and braids flowing beneath. Peaks and old village homes, incised on the front, look out over the plaza where he dances. Stands 3.75″ high on figurative side (dimensions approximate).
Micaceous clay
$125 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Three other mugs in the Buffalo Dancer series, each with its own unique incision work on the front, can be found here, here, and here.
Her work, of course, is not confined to male figures:
Women play central, if sometimes less publicly visible, roles, and Jessie gives them voice in her work, as well. This is one example. From its description:
Grandmother emerges from within this traditional mug as though from within the mountain etched on its front. Made of traditional micaceous clay by jessie Marcus (Taos Pueblo), the mug is hand-coiled, the side merging into the woman’s blanket, wrapped around her figure arising from one edge. An image of the old village, sacred peaks in the background is incised on the exterior. Mug stands 3.75″ high on the figurative side (dimensions approximate).
Micaceous clay
$125 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Of her female figurative pieces, however, this one is my favorite:
I love the practice of talking and singing to the plants. I think it’s a near-universal practice among our peoples, and it’s one she illustrates here. From its description:
Grandmother sings to the corn plants as she works, her head and voice rising from the side of this old-style handle-less mug. Brought forth from the body of this hand-coiled micaceous mug by Jessie Marcus (Taos Pueblo), she wears her hair tied back in the traditional bun, bangs on her forehead. The corn plants she nurtures are incised into the mug’s front. Stands 3.75″ high on figurative side (dimensions approximate).
Micaceous clay
$125 + shipping, handling, and insurance
She makes, of course, straightforwardly male-themed pieces, too, ones that embody not dancers but ordinary people:
Elders are always a good model, in both senses of the work. From its description:
An elder, wrapped in a traditional blanket, gazes watchfully over the wall of an old village home. He arises out of the bowl of an old-style mug made of hand-coiled micaceous clay, his blanket flowing downward to form its sides. The hallmarks of his home, an ancient Pueblo house, are molded in relief on the mugs body, the details incised by hand on the front. Stands 3.75″ high on the figurative side (dimensions approximate).
Micaceous clay
$125 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Next, we come to a very practical little piece:
BENITO ROMERO
Benito Romero works in clay, but doesn’t confine himself to pottery. We also have one of his tiny micaceous buffalo fetishes (the last of a substantial series he created some years ago), here. But this piece works on both artistic and very functional levels, since we still use traditional seed pots for storage and planting. From its description:
Keep your seeds safe and dry in this perfectly-shaped little seed pot by Benito Romero (Taos Pueblo). Great for storage in the cold months, and useful for dispensing seeds during planting season. Made of the Pueblo’s local micaceous clay; 3″ high by 3.5″ across at widest point (dimensions approximate). (Top view shown at the link above.)
Micaceous clay
$65 + shipping, handling, and insurance
There’s much more about seed pots and planting from a cultural perspective here.
Next, we come to a friend, a VietNam veteran whose work we highlighted a few weeks ago, for Veterans’ Day:
WILSON APPA
Wilson is a multi-talented artist: pottery, jewelry, beadwork, dreamcatchers, other media. He works primarily in pieces of small size, and generally in a vintage style — the sort of work that harks back to older ways when art was created without sophisticated power tools and other devices. At the moment, the only work by Wilson that we have remaining in inventory are these two pots. The one shown immediately above is a personal favorite of mine, which I discussed here. From its description:
VietNam veteran Wilson Appa (Taos Pueblo) has created this miniature storage jar from the Pueblo’s iconic micaceous clay. Compact, round, and slightly domed, it’s designed to hold seeds or other small items. The unpolished surface allows the clay’s native mica to shine through to its full shimmery effect. (dimensions approximate).
Micaceous clay
$40 + shipping, handling, and insurance
He also created a flare-lipped miniature olla, or water jar, which has since sold.
His other piece is a classically-shaped vintage-style pot. From its description:
Wilson Appa (Taos Pueblo), an artist and veteran, created this miniature version of a classic hand-coiled pot from the Pueblo’s local micaceous clay. The orb-like bowl’s mouth is broad enough to permit its use for storing small items; its textured surface allows the clay’s native mica to serve as a natural accent.
Micaceous clay
$40 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Finally, we come to a group of three women potters who specialize in miniatures. First up is Wings’s cousin:
From their description:
Three of Taos Pueblo’s potters create affordable miniatures on a regular basis. All are fashioned in the traditional way from the Pueblo’s iconic micaceous clay: The tiny pots, bowls, and ollas are all hand-coiled in the same manner as full-sized pieces, their only ornamentation the glimmer of the native mica, and fired to varying finishes.
Micaceous clay
Add $10 per pot for shipping, handling, and insurance
BERNADETTE TRACK
Bernadette has long worked in micaceous clay as her primary medium. She creates pottery of ordinary size, as well, but is perhaps best known for her miniatures, tiny versions of the traditional Pueblo pots that to this day see regular use: pots for cooking, holding water, and storage; and wedding vases used for the ceremonies their name implies.
The pieces immediately above and at the top of this subsection are by Wings’s cousin, Bernadette Track. Still available: one wedding vase ($35); five pots — three plain; two horsehair ($30 each). Wedding vase stands 3.5″ high; pots range from 1-5/8″ to 2-1/8″ high (dimensions approximate).
The classic bowl and fluted plate below are by another miniature artist:
OLIVIA MARTINEZ
Olivia likewise creates miniatures (as well as full-sized versions) of Taos Pueblo’s traditional micaceous clayware. Done in vintage style, hers are nonetheless given a more “finished” look, with a bit more smoothness and shaping than some others.
Miniature traditional plate and bowl are both still available ($30 each). Fluted plate is 1″ high by 3″ across; bowl is 1″ high by 2.25″ across (dimensions approximate).
Lastly, we come to an artist who does true vintage-style work:
LEATRICE GOMEZ
A part of the multi-talented Gomez family, Leatrice does both small and ordinary-sized pieces in true “vintage” style. It’s coarse-finished clayware intended largely for functional, utilitarian purposes, actual daily use, and her miniatures pay homage to those pieces, in use here for a thousands years and more:
The olla is sold; pots at left and right are still available ($25 each). Pot at left is 1.25″ high by 1.25″ across; pot at right, 1.25″ high by 1-3/8″ across (dimensions approximate).
It’s a broad selection of pottery in miniature, in an array of functional and artistic styles by a diversity of Taos Pueblo artisans who constitute a cross-section of local talent and experience: men and women, young and not so young, each has a definitive voice and articulates a highly personal vision.
Any of these pieces, from the modest true-vintage miniatures to the pure art pieces at the top, would make a perfect holiday gift for someone’s mantel, bookshelf, office, or other place of honor.
For details on any of these pieces, simply use the Contact form at left.
~ 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 owners.
