Stetson Setalla
Summer Rains
4 1/4"
H x 9 1/2" 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: "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."
As always, he has signed with
his trademark bear-claw/raincloud symbol representing both his
mother and father's clans.
This particular piece features
a rich red tone together with the traditional browns achieved
from the wild-spinach pigments used in tradtional pottery making
methods. The underneath has a unique red speckle that is a first
for Stetson.
The symbols represent both
the rays of the sun as well as the rain showers that are so desperately
needed in the summer. This piece could be considered a prayer
for rain.
