My Pottery Style

In the following pages Al Qoyawayma’s artistry and personal journey are reflected in the beauty and unique nature of his Hopi pottery.

“During the creative process I am privileged to be present, watching as the unseen hands and the gift of the Creator’s energy flows into my work. For this I am deeply thankful. Do I pray when forming pots? Certainly.”

Al Qoyawayma, “A Measure of Harmony”, 1982

Al Qoyawayma’s Hopi pottery is created in two distinct styles. The first style embodies figurative sculpted reliefs using the repousse’ technique, combined with traditional coil construction and tactile stone polished surfaces. The resulting contemporary Hopi pottery calls forth images of the Southwest with its subtle mix of desert hues and interplay of light and shadows so reminiscent of the land of the Hopi. This land, and the essence of his ancient relatives, nurtures and inspires the artist.

Al Qoyawayma’s more recent Hopi pottery style is carved and incised polychrome. The brilliant polychrome symbolic designs are influenced by the character and qualities of similar patterns used hundreds of years ago at the village of Sikyatki, the home of Al Qoyawayma’s Coyote clan ancestors.

To learn more about Al Qoyawayma’s Hopi pottery search this site and bookmark and revisit this for site frequent updates. Articles in process or now added will trace Al’s pottery style back to roots in Valdivia, Ecuador 4000 years ago, or relate the journey of 217 orbits around the earth with a final destination on exhibit at the new National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C. Follow Al Qoyawayma’s quest to learn about the ancient people of the Americas and the origin of certain ceramic designs.