PRICE: $5,000
HEIGHT: 7”
WIDTH: 4″
Al Qoyawayma calls the shape of this jar his “Serenity vase”. It is a distinctive form with two overlapping spouts. One spout is polished and the other is matte. This jar is entitled, “Coyote Man”. The jar has a carved and incised polychrome Coyote Man figure on one side. Al is from the Coyote Clan and says his thought on many of the polychrome pieces is to envision how Hopi pottery and people would have progressed without the arrival of the Spanish. The Coyote is leading the way and the rattle on his knee is a sign of authority. The figure is meant to look both ancient and futuristic. The opposite side has a pueblo cliff dwelling that has areas that are recessed and the entire surface is fully carved! Note the various shapes of the doors with the keyhole, square the even ones with the fallen beams! It is a classic piece with a striking balance of designs and form. The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Al Qoyawayma”. It is a new piece from 2022.
Al wrote of this piece:
This jar or small vase has gained the name “Serenity” for two reasons. This elegant flowing form was originally created on the banks of the Merced River in Yosemite Valley in a serene period of time. The uniqueness is embodied in the two different-sized outward curving lips forming the rim, say like the petals of a flower. The second reason for the name is to honor my late wife Leslie. We might even call this an “honoring pot”. The jar is formed from Hopi coiled clay and adding the incised architectural or “cliff dwelling” feature. The piece is also termed “polychrome” because of the use of multi-color stone polished slips used in both figures (six layers of colored slips used on the stonework), with a highlight of “turquoise” on the Coyote Man.