Santa Clara Pueblo Pottery
The Santa Clara Pueblo is separated from its closest neighbor—San Ildefonso Pueblo—by the Rio Grande. The geographic proximity of these Pueblos is reflected in the similarity of work produced by San Ildefonso and Santa Clara pottery artists.
Santa Clara pottery artists create black-on-black and red pottery. Some pieces exhibit the same matte over glossy as the San Ildefonso pottery. Their pottery differs from the San Ildefonso because Santa Clara Pueblo pottery artists use etching, carving and sgraffito to create their designs rather than painting. Their artists favor hummingbirds, butterflies, dragonflies and floral patterns. The bear paw is also a favorite.
Typically, Santa Clara pottery is much thicker, with deeply carved designs made into the polished walls of the pottery. The color is usually black, although a large number of pots are polished red. Today, much ware is made in the classic designs, however many Santa Clara potters are extending their art into newer techniques, such as sgraffito (lightly carved designs) and innovative polychrome work.
