Maria Martinez was a genius. She dug and mixed her own clay, created all of these exquisitely symmetrical forms without a potter's wheel, (coil or pats of clay which she would then scrape with a wooden rib followed by burnishing the forms with a stone), and did not use a kiln. Rather, she would stack the greenware, interspersed with cow dung, in a mound outdoors and cover all with scraps of metal. An amazing artist, I believe she never passed the 5th or 6th grade. Her son was largely responsible for slip painting the designs while he was alive.
All that chitter and chatter and no one told us which tribe she was from, or even her full name. Like all of us noobs are supposed to know an artist who goes by one name. Cher, yes. Sting, Bono, Flea, maybe. But who's this Maria? I dunno Edit: I'm back. [ Maria Montoya Martinez (1887, San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico - July 20, 1980, San Ildefonso Pueblo) was a Native American artist who created internationally known pottery. Martinez (born Maria Poveka Montoya), her husband Julian, and other family members examined traditional Pueblo pottery styles and techniques to create pieces which reflect the Pueblo people's legacy of fine artwork and crafts. The works of Maria Martinez, and especially her black ware pottery, survive in many museums, including the Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum, and more. The Penn Museum in Philadelphia holds eight vessels - three plates and five jars - signed either "Marie" or "Marie & Julian". Maria Martinez was from the San Ildefonso Pueblo, a community located 20 miles northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico. At an early age, she learned pottery skills from her aunt and recalls this "learning by seeing" starting at age eleven, as she watched her aunt, grandmother, and father's cousin work on their pottery during the 1890s. ...]. So now we know
Not if you’re a lover of Native American arts, crafts and jewelry. Maybe you should look into the history of the tribes and the objects they make. Each tribe usually has one form of artwork that is uniquely their own such as Pima for beautiful woven baskets and Zuni for their majestic needlepoint jewelry. Each piece is unique and handmade. The turquoise that is used comes many different mines each of which has unique properties. Some of the mines are simply known by their names such as Kingman, Sleeping Beauty, White buffalo, Spiderweb and many others. Learn a little before you speak.
