Joseph Lonewolf (January 26, 1932 – November 9, 2014) was a Native American

potter A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: Places United States *Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US *Potter, Arkansas *Potter, Nebraska *Potters, New Jerse ...

from

Santa Clara Pueblo Santa Clara Pueblo (in Tewa: Khaʼpʼoe Ówîngeh ɑ̀ʔp’òː ʔówîŋgè "Singing Water Village", also known as "Village of Wild Roses" is a census-designated place (CDP) in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States and a federally rec ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. He was known for his use of historical methods and his development of

sgraffito (; ) is an artistic or decorative technique of scratching through a coating on a hard surface to reveal parts of another underlying coating which is in a contrasting colour. It is produced on walls by applying layers of plaster tinted in con ...

and

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

techniques used a nail filed to a point as his main carving tool. The son of pottery artist and historical reconstructionist Camilio Sunflower Tafoya, Lonewolf was a precision

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

equipment

machinist A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who operates machine tools, and has the ability to set up tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling machines. A competent machinist will generally have a strong mechan ...

until 1971, when a back injury forced him to retire. His works, which have often been referred to as "pottery jewels", are notable for the use of Mimbres designs on

sienna Sienna () is an earth pigment containing iron oxide and manganese oxide. In its natural state, it is yellowish brown, and it is called raw sienna. When heated, it becomes a reddish brown, and it is called burnt sienna.''Shorter Oxford English ...

miniatures. His Designs are often reflect geometrical animal forms, He said "Each pot had a meaning but most are about nature".

Clay

When Joseph and his family go out to gather clay they do it with the utmost respect. Before the clay can be taken from Mother Earth they must say a prayer asking to take the clay and tell the clay mother that they are going to take her and make her into a beautiful pot. The clay is brought home and water is added to turn the clay to a liquid form known as slip. The slip is then strained through a screen to take out any rocks or roots and then the clay can be dried wedged up to be used.

Firing

After the wear had been carved away the piece is allowed to dry to a bone dry state and it is time be fired. Four tin cans are set up and a metal basket is placed on them to allow for good air flow. The pots are then placed in the basket and a fire is built under the basket. Planks of bark are leaned agents the stack in a tepee form and the whole pile is lit on fire. After the bon fire burns down, for an amount of time that is learned from years of experience, horse manure is shoved on to smother the flame and create a reduction atmosphere in the firing. The reduction causes the wear to turn black in color giving this work a particular look. "We do not talk about a pot until it is complete, If we do it will brake in the firing" Lonewolf's work was explored in a series on American Indian artists for the

Public Broadcasting System The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prom ...

(PBS). Other artists in the series included R. C. Gorman, Helen Hardin,

Allan Houser Allan Capron Houser or Haozous (June 30, 1914 – August 22, 1994) was a Chiricahua Apache sculptor, painter, and book illustrator born in Oklahoma.Charles Loloma Charles Sequevya Loloma (January 7, 1921 — June 9, 1991) was a Hopi Native American artist known for his jewelry. He also worked in pottery, painting and ceramics. A highly influential Native American jeweler during the 20th century, Loloma p ...

, and

Fritz Scholder Fritz William Scholder V (October 6, 1937 – February 10, 2005) was a Native American artist, who produced paintings, monotypes, lithographs, and sculptures. Scholder was an enrolled member of the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians, a federally r ...

.Steven Leuthold
"13: Native American Art and Artists in Visual Arts Documentaries from 1973 to 1991,"
in On the Margins of Art Worlds, ed. Larry Gross. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1995, 268.

References

External links

More information about Joseph Lonewolf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lonewolf, Joseph 1932 births 2014 deaths Santa Clara Pueblo potters American potters Ceramists from New Mexico 20th-century American artists 21st-century American artists 20th-century Native American artists 21st-century Native American artists