Gabriel Gonzales
(Jemez)
Ellipses
4" H
x 5 1/2" W
Born in the Oak Valley Clan
of the Jemez Pueblo (Walatowa), New Mexico, potter Gabriel G.
Gonzales is the son of George & Presingula Gonzales and the
grandson of Anacita Chinana. Gabriel is proud of his family,
many of whom are also involved in the arts. Two acclaimed Jemez
Pueblo potters taught Gabriel art of pottery, his mother, Persingula,
and uncle, Donald Chinana.
At the age of 15, he began
developing his own unique style, experimenting with natural clays
and slips. He was fascinated and inspired by the “melon”
design after seeing a pot made by his fellow tribes-woman Juanita
Fragua.
His style is characterized
by a satiny-smooth, gleaming finish and deep carving. The designs
may be traditional in origin, but the result is fresh and contemporary.
His work is always entirely hand made. He gathers his clay from
ancient clay pits at Jemez Pueblo and tempers it with ash from
the nearby super volcano deposits. He uses traditional paints
and clay slips of various colors from local plants and the earth.
The pottery is hand-coiled, without the use of a wheel, hand
carved, and stone polished.
His pots are put into a milk
crate, fired outdoors with wood bonfire, and then smothered completely
with pulverized horse manure. During the smothering, the iron
sulfide in the smoke inside the mound, condenses on the cooling
ceramic and produces a jet-black patina on the stone polished
pot surface.
Gabriel has been making pottery for over 20 years and has shown
in most of the major exhibitions around the country. He has received
numerous awards for his work including the Santa Fe Indian Market
and the Heard Museum.
