Adobe Gallery Blog

This is a very traditional white corrugated owl figurine that was built up from coils of clay left in roll form, not smoothed out. The rows were then impressed with a stick or other tool to achieve the design. This is similar to prehistoric utilitarian wares in which the rows of coils of clay were left visible.

Stella Shutiva spent most of her career making pottery in the fashion of pre-historic corrugated utilitarian wares, a style revived by her mother, Jessie Garcia. She said she admired her mother's corrugated pottery so much that she vowed she would learn how to make it herself. It took her four years to master the technique, but master it she did.

Jessie Garcia, Shutiva's mother, is given credit for reviving the ancient art of corrugated pottery, but instead of the earth-colored clay generally used for the prehistoric corrugated wares; she chose to use the white, un-slipped Acoma clay, thus marrying the style of the old ways with a look of the new.

Shutiva brought her mother's creation to fruition and spent her career almost exclusively devoted to making white corrugated wares. Adding painted designs to small portions of her pottery was an addition late in her career as was the addition of animal and reptile forms in bas-relief.

This owl figurine was probably made in the 1980s. The corrugated rows of clay are continuous from the bottom of the vessel to the top. There is no flattened bottom to the vessel. The artisan's name is painted on the underside.

Condition: appears to be in original condition but perhaps with a little more dust.
Recommended Reading: Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf

Subject: Acoma Pueblo White Corrugated Pottery Owl
Artist / Potter: Stella Shutiva (1939-1997)
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Acoma Pueblo
Medium: clay
Size: 8-3/4" tall x 9-5/8" diameter
Item # C3367D