The Inspiration Makes an Appearance

The ancient designs of the Southwest have always fascinated me as an artist because of the rich earthly quality of the designs.  The handing down of the ancient Acoma designs from artist to artist expresses the beautiful refinement and timelessness of such designs through the ages. 

As an artist, I often wondered how other artists are inspired by the natural world.  As I contemplated the answer to this question the image of an artist creating a work seemed most appropriate.  The scaled quail, shown in this work is a small iridescent blue gray bird, which makes it’s home in the same area that the artist’s of the Acoma Pueblo tradition and would dig for clay for their pots.  This delicate yet hardy bird was likely to be one of the major food sources for many Pueblo people.  By embellishing their pottery with images of plants, birds and animals which they depended on for their survival tells us they had a deep abiding respect for nature and the environment.  Respect for this tradition is carried on through time in the beautiful images created by Pueblo artist’s to this day.