Wally Youvella Sr.

Sacred Ground

3" H x 5" D


Wally Youvella is the husband of the well-known Nampeyo pottery, Iris Youvella. Through is wife, his family pedigree reads like a Who's Who of Hopi pottery. He has been a proficient potter for many years, assisting Iris in some of her endeavors, but it has been quite some time since he last produced unique works of his own. This is the first we've seen in several years.

Wally has also been credited with developing the incised style of Hopi pottery, along with his late brother-in-law, Tom Polacca. Here you can see his ability in bringing traditional motifs to life around the handsome figure of the bear. However, this technique is more applique than sgraffito, since the designs are actually raised off the pottery surface - characteristic of the Youvella-Nampeyo family.

Like Iris, Wally maintains a clean and classic approach to Hopi pottery making. His natural colors lend themselves well to the look and feel which he sets out to achieve. There is nothing else quite like it. The smooth surface and expertly executed designs demonstrate his skill as a delicate potter as well.

This particular piece is somewhat of a departure from his regular "high polish" buffware, and features stylized polychrome pottery shards.

Both Wally and Iris spend many hours burnishing their pottery by hand in the traditional fashion - using a smooth polishing stone handed down for generations. They are very meticulous in their attention to detail. Every inch is carefully gone over to insure precise density and polish.

Wally also appears in nearly every major publication on Hopi pottery including Hopi-Tewa Pottery: 500 Artists Biographies by Gregory Schaff, The Art of the Hopi by Jerry and Lois Jacka, Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery by Rick Dillingham, and The Legacy of a Master Potter: Nampeyo and Her Descendants by Mary Ellen and Laurence Blair.

Gallery Price: $950.00

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