Jacob Koopee
(d.)
Qoqole Bowl
(circa 2004)
4 3/4"
H x 9" D
This incredibly beautiful
piece of pottery experienced a minor hairline crack during firing.
This slight imperfection is barely visible under bright ligh
and runs about 4 inches along the top surface of the pot.
From an aesthetic standpoint,
it is gorgeous, and the same amount of time, effort, love, and
skill goes into making these pieces as goes into making a perfect
piece. This is a special opportunity to bring home an exquisite
example of Jacob's work for a fraction of its regular gallery
price.
Jacob Koopee was born March
31, 1970. He was the great-great grandson of Nampeyo; great-grandson
of Nellie Nampeyo Douma; grandson of Marie Koopee, and the son
of Jacob Koopee, Sr. (Tewa) and Georgia Dewakuku Koopee.
In 1996, at the age of 26,
Jake was awarded Best of Show, Committee's Choice, Best Traditional
Pottery, at the Museum of Northern Arizona. He has successfully
participated in and won awards at many Markets since then - including
back-to-back "Best of Show" awards at both the Heard
Museum and Santa Fe Indian Market 2005!
Jacob Koopee appeared in several
major publications on Hopi pottery including Hopi-Tewa Pottery:
500 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaff (p. 59), and The
Art of the Hopi by Jerry and Lois Jacka (pp. 118, 126).
He loved to base his work
on old Sikyaki designs. Jake reported, "My Aunt Dextra (Quotskuyva)
inspired me." Jake was a young man with extraordinary talent.
He created some of the largest hand coiled, open fired pieces
of pottery at Hopi.
He signed with his hallmark
Kokopelli and last name Koopee.
Jacob was proud of his adherence
to traditional methods which always produced one-of-a-kind pottery,
with its own unique character and finish. In Hopi culture, nothing
is ever "perfect," and that's just the way he wanted
it.
