F556 Serpentine Owl
Grey serpentine owl by Zuni carver Daniel Chattin. The 2” x 7/8” x 3/4” owl has turquoise eyes and a jet beak.
Owl is the protector of the home. He represents wisdom and truth and has the ability to see what others cannot.
About the artist
Daniel Chattin
Daniel Chattin began to carve in 1995, with the strong support of his wife Jovanna Poblano and her family. “I am a self-taught carver,” he says. “One day I picked up a stone and saw a buffalo in it, then found another stone with a bear inside.” He quickly moved on to corn maidens, drawn by their importance to Zuni culture and their peacefulness. Soon he and Jovanna saw how his carvings could be incorporated into her necklaces, and their artistic collaboration was born.
A self-taught carver who has his own very distinctive style, Daniel is mostly known for his maidens and birds, although he also carves old style bears, coyotes, eagles and the buffalos. Daniel loves the challenge that comes with new materials, experimenting with glass, crystal, wood, silver, gem stones, or anything else that catches his eye. “When I see a stone, I see what it could be, how it should look,” he explains. “It always amazes me that even before I start carving I can see what it could be, and that it becomes a beautiful carving after all my work.” Daniel uses a dremel for carving stone or shell, or a diamond wheel for hard stones, but he prefers to do his sanding and finishing by hand.
