“Eagle Tail Pottery”
by James Garcia Nampeyo, Hopi / Tewa / Laguna
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James Garcia Nampeyo
Description: Hand-coiled Hopi seed jar, approx. 8 in. x 4 in., of natural clay traditionally fired with sheep dung; natural paints
About this Award: Awarded for high quality in craftsmanship and vision in the use of clay. All pottery and figurative clay objects are eligible.
Juror’s Comments:
Anthony Lovato: I’m more partial to the Hopi pottery because of the tradition. This particular piece has an older design, which was probably taken from the Sikyatki Ruins, or east of Polacca. I like the style and the low dome shape of it. All the pigments are natural, using yucca to do the designing. The shape is like a low Sikyatki shape—the older designs. If I made this I would have put a corn design on the inside, but that’s me. I like the thinness of it, the shape of it. I really love the firing effect, the redness where the heat was higher, compared to the lighter areas, which really tells that it was traditionally fired.