Artist Bio:
Marcella Yepa, member of the
Sun Clan, was born into the Jemez Pueblo in 1964.
Marcella began working with
clay at the age of 19. She was inspired to learn the art of working
with clay from her aunt, Alvina Yepa. Alvina shared with Marcella
all the fundamentals of hand coiling traditional pottery.
She also taught her which
hills provided the best clay to work with and special techniques
to construct her art. The lucrative aspect also inspired Marcella
to become an artisan. However, establishing her own unique style
of art gave her a feeling of self worth.
Marcella specializes in hand
coiled contemporary swirl and melon styled pottery.
She gathers her clay and other
natural pigments within the Jemez Pueblo. She soaks the clay,
grinds it to a powder form, cleans the clay, hand mixes, hand
coils, shapes, carves the pottery, polishes her pottery with
a stone, and fires her pottery outdoors with cedar chips. She
hand coils many shapes and sizes of pottery like wedding vases,
ollas, and traditional shapes.
She signs her pottery as:
M. Yepa, Jemez, or Marcella Yepa, Jemez.
She is related to the following
artists: Emma Yepa (cousin), and Lawrence Yepa.
