Ajijaakwe: Native Arts

Native Arts: Sculpture Sale — 25% Off! Spirits and Singers

This piece is a perfect example of the use of form and flow in crafting art infused with spirit of a solid piece of stone.

By the late Emerson Gomez (Taos Pueblo), this combined Eagle Spirit and Buffalo Spirit is rendered in Pilar slate, a beautiful charcoal-colored stone found in this area.

When polished, it feels almost like soapstone, but it has subtle and mysterious matrices, usually in a deep blood-red.

Here, the body flows upward and outward; the broadest point comes into focus as Buffalo, with delicate alabaster horns nearly the shade of pale amber. The other side flows into Eagle's fierce visage. From memory, I believe it stands about 8" tall, and rests on golden-brown alabaster base. SC048; retail, $255; sale price, $191.25 + s/h/i.

"Laying Down Buffalo" by Paul Dancebow.Photo copyright Ajijaakwe, 2013, 2014;
all rights reserved.

In keeping with the Buffalo theme, we have "Laying Down Buffalo," by Paul Dancebow (Taos Pueblo). [No grammar police, please; the artist gets to name his work whatever he wants.] This big, happy-looking guy is, if memory serves, about 8"-9" in length, and he is extremely heavy. He's made of steatite, or soapstone, imported from Canada, and the feel is complex: It manages to seem both warm and cool to the touch at the same time. On the reverse, his tail stands out in relief, curled around the back of his body. SC006; retail, $450; sale price, $337.50 + s/h/i. Weight requires special handling.

Traditional Pueblo Singer by Paul Dancebow.
Photo copyright Ajijaakwe, 2013, 2014;
all rights reserved.

And last, but by no means least, we have another piece by Paul Dancebow: a traditional singer. Carved of cedar, his upturned face is finely detailed, as is his long hair, tied back in traditional style. He's wrapped in a blanket, and his body curves gently, following the natural line of the wood. He stands atop an alabaster base, golden in color with silver-white matrices throughout.

Traditional Pueblo Singer by Paul Dancebow.
Photo copyright Ajijaakwe, 2013, 2014;
all rights reserved.

SC015; retail, $225; sale price, $168.75 + s/h/i.

Native Arts: Sculpture Sale — 25% Off! Elder Spirits

"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.

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.

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.

Native Arts: Sculpture Sale — 25% Off! Animal Spirits

All of these pieces are by Ned Archuleta (Taos Pueblo). Ned is known for working mostly in alabaster, and he's particularly fond of pink alabaster, mined in Colorado. Although these four pieces look genuinely "pink," that's not always the case with this stone; he often chooses blocks that are nearly taupe in color, sometimes with a blood-red matrix. He's also known for working with the stone, rather than against it, allowing the stone's natural lines and spirit to dictate how a piece takes shape.

Up first: "Taos Pueblo Mountain Trout." Pink alabaster on pink alabaster base. If you look closely, you can see the flowing lines of the matrix in the cool, silky stone,giving the appearance of scales and fins. SC031; retail, $375; sale price, $281.25 + s/h/i. Note: Requires special handling.

Next, an untitled rendering of a buffalo, also in pink alabaster. The back of the body and the face are polished smooth; the head, shoulders, and forelegs are roughened to reflect Buffalo's curly mane. The horns are carved of polished deep-red pipestone. SC028; retail, $375; sale price, $281.25 + s/h/i. Note: Requires special handling.

This piece (and the next) are much smaller, almost — but not quite — small enough to be considered fetishes (a little under 4" long). This little guy is a furry medicine bear: the hair of his coat is carved right into his body. This piece really shows the variability of pink alabaster: All of one small block of stone, his face is nearly white, but from the ears back his body shows varying shades of rose, almost purple, in the stone's matrix. Inlaid bits of Sleeping Beauty turquoise serve as his eyes, and his medicine bundle, tied on with the traditional sinew, is of turquoise and coral beads. SC040; retail, $125; sale price, $93.75 + s/h/i.

Lastly, for this series, "Beaver." Again, this little guy is "furry," with his coat etched into the pink alabaster stone; in this case, it contains beautiful, variable matrices. His broad, flat tail has the cross-hatching carved right into it; two tiny pieces of Sleeping Beauty turquoise form his eyes. SC039; retail, $125; sale price, $93.75 + s/h/i.

Ajijaakwe

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Native Arts: Sculpture Sale — 25% Off! Spirits and Singers

Native Arts: Sculpture Sale — 25% Off! Elder Spirits

Native Arts: Sculpture Sale — 25% Off! Animal Spirits

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