Gloria Mahle
Shard Jar
4 1/4"
H x 7 1/4" D
This beautiful piece of Hopi
pottery was created by Gloria
Mahle. Gloria has been
an active Hopi potter since 1980. She attributes much of her
development and success to Rainy Naha and Fawn Navasie who have
acted as her teachers and mentors.
Her painting is very fine
and her polishing extreamly smooth. Her finished pots are exceptional
in quality and design. She is known for her bird, rain and cloud
designs.
This particular piece is a
fine example of the Hopi polychrome with abstract shard designs
repeating throughout. Each shard incorporates traditional designs
as well.
Gloria has appeared in several
magazines and publications dealing primarily with Native American
art and Hopi Pottery, in particularly. These include Hopi-Tewa
Potters by Gregory Schaaf, p. 73; and Art of the Hopi,
Contemporary Journeys on Ancient Pathways by Jerry and Lois
Essary Jacka, p. 100.
She has also won numerous
awards, including ribbons at the Museum of Northern Arizona Hopi
Marketplace, and is best known for her symmetry and her detail
in application and innovation.
Beautiful Hopi "fire-clouds"
indicate that Gloria has indeed remained loyal to her traditional
methods of forming and firing her pottery. These stunning reddish-orange
shades can only be obtained through the natural sheep-dung firing
process.
