Stetson Setalla
Master
Artist Award / MNA Hopi Show 2003
Four Seasons
5 1/2"
H x 10" D
Stetson Setalla comes from
a long line of Hopi potters. His family includes Agnes Navasie
(grandmother), Eunice Navasie (aunt), Agnes Nahsonhoya, and Dee
Setalla (siblings).
He has been an active potter
since 1980 and has been featured in many major works on Hopi
pottery. Stetson consistently shows at major competitions and
venues throughout the Southwest. His work is also featured at
the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona; and the Museum of Indian
Arts & Cultures in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
From Stetson's autobigraphical
statement: "As I work on my pots, I clear my mind of all
bad thoughts by concentrating and praying to my clay.
"Good thoughts and a
good heart are essential in working with your clay because you
are creating yourself in each pot as you coil and when you are
ready to paint the pot, a clear mind and good heart is crucial
in assisting you with your painting because the designs flow
through your mind into your hand and onto your pot without difficulty."
This piece features a stylized
sunburst broken up into four segments - each representing a phase
of the yearly seasons. The water waves represent the Hopi reliance
upon rainfall for their crops. Every element is balanced and
perfectly divisible by four - the sacred Hopi number.
As always, he has signed with
his trademark bear-claw/raincloud symbol representing both his
mother and father's clans.