This incredible egg-shaped
vase was created by talented Hopi potter, Antoinette Silas.
She has been an active Hopi potter since the age of 15. She attributes
much of her development and success to mother, Roberta Silas:
"At 15 years of age I
went to demonstrate at Bloom Field, Indiana University. I learned
to make pottery from my mother Roberta Silas. Some designs I
use are inherited from my mother and some I have developed myself.
I ship a lot of my pottery to Jackson Hole Wyoming. I have won
ribbons and awards at the Northern Arizona Museum. I also market
my products to collectors. I want to tell the world that everything
is done with traditional native products and that it is very
laborsome." - Antoinette
Silas
Antoinette has appeared in
magazines and publications dealing primarily with Native American
art and Hopi Pottery, in particularly. These include Hopi-Tewa
Potters by Gregory Schaaf, p. 154; and Art of the Hopi,
Contemporary Journeys on Ancient Pathways by Jerry and Lois
Essary Jacka, p. 53. Her work also appears as the back cover
shot on Art of the Hopi, as merit of her artistic prowess.
As she mentioned, Antoinette
has also won numerous awards, including ribbons at the Museum
of Northern Arizona Hopi Marketplace, and is best known for her
abstract parrot images (indicative of her clan), terraced clouds,
and other traditional Hopi symbols which are reminiscient of
the pottery shards from the Sikyatki ruins area.
We were very pleased to see
that a pottery as large and as delicate as this one came through
the firing process intact. Antoinette always stresses the importance
of "natural process" when creating Hopi pottery. Everything
is done by hand, from gathering the clay to applying the natural
pigments. This piece is no exception. Long hours of persperation
combined with incredible inspiration have yielded yet another
increasingly beautiful masterpiece by Antoinette Silas.
The piece measures approximately
9" tall x 8"
wide. The opening is approximately
5" in diameter.
