Steve Lucas
Eagle Wings
4 1/2"
H x 6 1/4" D
Steve Lucas is the great -grandson
of Nampeyo, grandson of Rachel Namingha Nampeyo and brother of
Karen Lucas. He is recognized as one of the premier Hopi potters
of today for his outstanding and innovative art work.
He consistently wins blue
ribbons and this year he won best of pottery at the Santa Fe
Indian Market. His works are created in the traditional ways
of Hopi potters and of his great-great grandmother Nampeyo.
Steve uses all natural clays
to hand coil his pottery, natural pigments to create designs
and outdoor firing to give his art the wonderful blush that adds
much so beauty.
Another characteristic of
Steve's fine work is the high polished glow which most pieces
exhibit. This is achieved through many hours of diligent polishing
using a small, smooth stone.
Most of his designs are based
on old Sikyatki shards that he studies for inspiration. Steve's
work is precise, finely detailed, nearly perfect in symmetry.
"People often ask me
how I get the shapes and designs for my pots. Actually, my ideas
come from the clay as much as from myself. I find that the more
I listen to the clay, the better my pot. So, its both of us.
And, I study design books and go to prehistoric sites and look
at the sherds scattered around. My work place is at First Mesa.
The site of Sikyatki is nearby, and I often go there. I am always
awed by the work of the ancients. To think, I am trying to make
pots like those long-ago geniuses. [It] makes you humble."
Like his forebears, Steve
has mastered the art of traditional polychrome pottery making.
Steve has signed with his hallmark mudhead, or koyemsi,
along with an ear of corn for his great-grandmother, Nampeyo.
