White Swann is the daughter
of the renowned Hopi potter Eunice "Fawn" Navasie.
She is also sister to Dawn and "Little Fawn" Navasie,
who now goes by "Fawn" since her mother's passing.
Having grown up in the Antelope
Mesa area of the Hopi reservation, near Keams Canyon, White Swann
learned the art of pottery making at an early age. She watched
her mother and was allowed to play in the clay, making her first
crude pots as a toddler.
As the niece of another well-known
potter, Frogwoman, White Swann has the blood of many talented
generations flowing through her veins. She shows at all the major
venues throughout the Southwest and consistently does well.
Some of her recent shows include
Santa Fe Indian Market, Heard Museum Show 2003, and a "One
Man" show at the Hopi Artisans Guild at Second Mesa.
She was recently distinguished
as the recipient of the SWAIA's prestigious fellowship award
and has been featured in nearly every major publication dealing
with Indian Art.
This piece is a classic polychrome
vessel for White Swann, who prefers to adhere to the tradition
of her grandmothers. Handcoiling the pot, and using all natural
pigments, she finishes the pottery by firing in an outdoor, sheep-dung
firing pit.
The design incorporates traditional
Sikyatki designs with other classic symbols. She has signed with
her trademark "White Swann" and icon.
