Description: Pottery | Dimensions: 5”h x 8”diameter

Jody Folwell has long been one of the important innovators in pottery. Her revolutionary work of the 1970s changed the surface of Santa Clara Pueblo pottery with her distinctive firings, use of various clay slips and a wide variety of design subject matter incorporating traditional elements and/or non-traditional elements that reflect current world events. This highly-polished sienna pot incorporates both, the non-traditional in its sloping rim and slip varieties and the traditional in its Four Direction symbol presentation. Four, a sacred number of southwest tribes, represents north, south, east and west literally, but it is also indicative of four sacred mountains: The San Francisco Peaks (Flagstaff, AZ); Hesperus Mountain (San Juan National Forest, CO); Blanca Peak (Rocky Mountains, CO); and Mount Taylor (Cibola National Forest, NM). And it represents the four seasons, the four stages of life (birth, youth, adulthood and old age), the four elements of nature (fire, water, air and earth), the four sacred corn colors (yellow, white, blue and black), and the four sacred plants (corn, beans, squash and tobacco).

Folwell said, "I think of each piece as an artwork that has something to say on its own, a statement about life. I think of myself as being a contemporary potter and a traditionalist at the same time. Combining the two is very emotional and exciting to me."

Her art continues to evolve and each piece integrates different aspects of her artistic journey. Her work can be found in museums worldwide and has been featured in numerous books, including "The Art of Clay" and "Legacy of Generations."

Description: Sienna Pot | 10”h x 9”d

Highly successful and innovative Santa Clara potter, Jody Folwell, began creating pots in the 1970s. While respecting Santa Clara pottery traditions, Folwell adds her own contemporary and creative style by utilizing distinctive firings, a variety of clay slips and incorporating non-traditional design elements that are often reflective of current events.

In this sienna pot, the highly-polished sloping rim is reminiscent of a glistening mountain on the horizon that gives way to an expansive valley. And as your eye descends, a more austere perspective emerges as the color and polished surface fade. Conceptualizing a three-dimensional landscape metaphor is brilliant, but executing it is genius.