Alton Komalestewa
Red Melon
Swirl
7 ½"
H x 7" D
Alton Komalestewa is son-in-law
to the famous Santa Clara potter - Helen Shupla. Helen was credited
with devising thes technique of "pushing out" the sections
from the inside of the bowl. What makes this style different
from most Santa Clara melon bowls, is that the inside is not
smooth, but it follows the shape of the grooves on the outside.
Her melon pots appear on the cover of the book Talking With
the Clay.
Alton is also the youngest
son of Austin Komalestewa and Emily Shupla. As a Hopi, he is
also related through his father to Nampeyo, Alton's great grandmother.
He never learned to pot while growing up at Hopi Pueblo.
Alton married Helen's daughter,
Jeannie, and they moved to Santa Clara Pueblo in the early 1970'
where he learned this special technique from her.
In 1989, both Jeannie and
Helen passed away, and Alton moved back to Hopi. There he continued
to produce pottery in the Helen Shupla style, only with Hopi
clay. Recently (2001) he has returned to the Santa Clara Pueblo
area and is again potting with local clays and slips. His magnificent
pots are the only heirs to melon pots made famous by Helen Shupla
and are among the finest pots being made today and are widely
collected.
The polishing and shaping
of Alton's pieces is always meticulous, and this piece is no
exception. Digital photos could never do this piece justice.
Alton Komalestewa is featured
in "The Legacy of Master Potter Nampeyo" by Mary Ellen
& Laurence Blair on pages 202-203, in "Treasures of
the Hopi" by Theda Bassman on page 78 and in "Hopi-Tewa
Pottery" by Gregory Schaaf on page 59.