Marquis Lente
Laguna
Laguna Plaza
11 1/2"
H x 14 1/2" D
Take a look at the size of
this piece! It measures almost fifteen inches in diameter. It's
truly a centerpiece and needs its own space. But that's what
we love about these great Rio Grande ollas. They were originally
designed to be functional, and the more water or produce you
could carry, the more efficient your labor was.
We're pleased to see artists
like Marquis pushing the boundaries and reaching to complete
larger vessels like this one. Every effort increases the inherent
risks, and the chances that a large pot could break before or
during firing are exponentially greater than their smaller counterparts.
Marquis Dann-Lente was born
in 1970 and is a member of the Water Clan and a member of the
Kachina Clan. He is half Hopi and half Laguna. Marquis was inspired
to learn the art of working with clay from Preston Duwyenie from
the Hopi Reservation and May Chavez from the Acoma Pueblo.
They taught Marquis all the
fundamentals of constructing hand coiled pottery using the ancient
traditional methods that were passed down from generation to
generation. The lucrative aspect of the business was also inspiration
for him to learn this unique style of art.
Marquis specializes in hand
coiled and hand painted traditional pottery. He gathers his natural
clumps of clay and he harvests his raw plants from within the
reservation. He breaks down the the clumps of clay into a fine
powder form and cleans the clay for impurities. Then, he hand
mixes the clay with sand and water to temper the clay. He begins
the hand coiling process by rolling the clay into snake like
coils and begins building his pottery to his desired shape.
Once his vessel has been formed
it is set out to dry. He fashions a brush from a yucca stem with
his teeth and he boils his raw plants for his desired natural
colors to paint his vessels. Once the vessels are dry he sands
them for a smooth finish. Then, he begins hand painting his favorite
designs such as birds, fine lines, rainbow bands, and geometric
designs. Finally, he fires his pottery the traditional way, outdoors
with cedar chips.
He signs his pottery as: Lente,
Laguna. He is related to: Floyd Dann, Jr. (father), and Sandra
J. Lente (mother).
