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| "BearHawk" by Ned Archuleta. Photo copyright Ajijaakwe, 2013, 2014; all rights reserved. |
These three are also by Ned Archuleta (Taos Pueblo), and they're very much in his trademark style.
The first, above, is called "BearHawk.' It's a style that he does with some regularity, melding together the spirits of a traditional elder and an animal into one mystical piece. Here, it's the elder and a bear, traditional symbol of medicine and power, rendered in smooth, flowing, silken lines of clay-colored alabaster shot with bits of warm, nearly golden, streaks in the stone. About six inches in overall length, it sits on a wooden base. SC007; retail, $225; sale price, $168.75 + s/h/i.
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| Traditional Pueblo Elder by Ned Archuleta. Photo copyright Ajijaakwe, 2013, 2014; all rights reserved. |
This untitled piece, in pink alabaster, is of a Pueblo elder in traditional dress, including blanket and eagle feather. From memory, I believe it stands about a foot high, including the red cedar base. SC027; retail, $375; sale price, $281.25 + s/h/i. Requires special handling.
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| Traditional Pueblo Elder by Ned Archuleta. Photo copyright Ajijaakwe, 2013. 2014; all rights reserved. |
Last, another rendering of a Pueblo elder in traditional dress, also in pink alabaster on a wooden base. This one really shows Ned's ability to coax spirit from stone by following its immanent form, and features great attention to detail: the lines of the blanket, the strands of beads, the markings on the eagle feather in the hair. SC008; retail, $375; sale price, $281.25 + s/h/i. Requires special handling.
Copyright Ajijaakwe, 2014; all rights reserved.
I've always thought the two elder sculptures were a pair, one male and one female because of design elements (hair ornament vs feather projecting out, earrings vs necklace); am I off base? Thanks and love to you both.
ReplyDeleteNo, they were done more than a year apart, independently of each other. Both male; there are traditional details that tell. Both of them also have a eagle feather in the hair; the angle is simply a function of the stone.
ReplyDeleteAnd love you back. I'm just addled today, for kind of obvious reasons.