Artists in Clay: The Winona State University Collection of Southwest Native American Pottery [SOLD]

From the Book:

Some say the clay has a will of its own, and when the heart of the potter is attuned to that will, the clay seems to shape itself. When you hold a beautifully formed and exquisitely painted pot in your hands, you embrace the spirit of Clay Lady and the prayer of the potter. Every piece of pottery tells its own story—how Mother Earth gave a chunk of herself as a sacred gift to the potter, how the pot’s form sprang from human imagination, how it was coiled by human hands, fired, smoothed, buffed, polished and painted into a vessel of lasting beauty.

The pueblo people of New Mexico have been making pottery for nearly 2,000 years. From crude ancient vessels, pottery making has developed into the refined art it is today. Whether utilitarian, ceremonial, or decorative, pottery has always been an important part of everyday life for the pueblo potters of New Mexico.

Today, potters still dig their clay from traditional clay beds as they have done for centuries. The color and consistency of the clay varies throughout the state from gritty, mica-flecked to deep red to dark gray and dense to white and grainy. The characteristics of an individual pot are greatly influenced by the color, consistency, and strength of the clay. —Judith Adamson.