Gary Gutierrez
Santa Clara
Buffalo Drummer
4" H
x 5" L
Gary Gutierrez, “P’aa-Ay-P’in”,
or “ Deer Mountain ”,was born in 1967 to the Santa
Clara Pueblo-Tewa. He began working with clay at the age of 9.
Through out this time he also began to sell his art successfully.
Gary was inspired to make pottery by the Anasazi people.
Gary specializes in hand making
what he calls Anasazi figurines. He said, “To me they represent
a time, when life was simple and balanced in this world.”
Gary ’s favorite one’s to mold are the figures that
hold the pottery. Gary signs his pottery as: Gary Gutierrez,
Santa Clara, followed by the month and year they were sculpted.
Gary is the son of Dorothy
and Paul Gutierrez who are also well known for their mudheads,
animals and nativity sets. Gary also makes figuritive pottery
but in a larger scale.
He does very fine figures
that are well formed and beautifully polished. His figures always
have difficult and complex surfaces to polish so Gary uses pencil-shaped
stalagtites as polishing stones.
The finish he achieves using
these stones is truly remarkable. Gary used to pot part-time
only (at one time playing in a Los Angeles rock band and returning
to Santa Clara to fire) but due to the increased demand for his
work he moved to Santa Fe and now pots full-time. He also makes
wonderful nativity sets.
Gary is related to the following
artists: Paul Gutierrez, Dorothy Gutierrez (parents), Luther
Gutierrez (grandfather), Margaret Gutierrez (aunt), Lela Gutierrez,
and Van Gutierrez (great grandparents).
Awards:
-1999 New Mexico State Fair
2nd Place
-1999 Santa Fe Indian Market
( 2) 1st Place
-Santa Fe Indian Market (1st
numerous times)
-New Mexico State Fair (1st
numerous times)
- Gallup Inter Tribal Ceremony
(1st 1993-1995)
-Bank of Santa Fe 1985 artist
under 18 yrs.
