Nathan Youngblood Santa Clara Pottery

Nathan Youngblood

Santa Clara Pueblo

Please call us at 480.481.0187 or e-mail us at kgs@kinggalleries.com for more information about Nathan or his work.

Nathan Youngblood

Santa Clara Pueblo

King Galleries of Scottsdale is pleased to represent the work of Nathan Youngblood.

Each piece is coil built, hand carved, stone polished and native fired (see to the left). Nathan learned to make pottery from his grandmother, Margaret Tafoya. Today, enjoys the reputation as being one of the leading Pueblo pottery, creating innovative and unique works of art in clay!

Below is an an artist biography along with images of pottery from past gallery shows.

Please contact us at 480.481.0187 or emails us at kgs@kinggalleries.com with questions and availability of new work!

Redefining the Clay

Technical superiority, innovative shapes, traditional designs, contemporary presentation... all of these terms describe the exquisite pottery of Nathan Youngblood. Out of every 10 pots that he makes, only three or four will make it through the final firing stage. On the average, one-third of Youngblood’s pots will crack while drying and another third crack while being fired. However, this is the risk he takes which results in perfectly designed and executed Pueblo pottery.

Nathan is a sixth generation potter and grandson of Margaret Tafoya (1904-2001). As his father was in the military, Nathan grew up traveling around the world. When he finally returned home to Santa Clara, he learned to make pottery by watching Margaret and her husband, Alcario. Nathan remembers his mother (Mela) and grandmother telling him, "that clay wasn’t something you play with, that it is serious business. The clay is a gift; it is a privilege that the Clay Mother gives us, and we are very fortunate. You can’t be good if you just play with it. You have to totally commit yourself".

Nathan adheres to all the traditional aspects of making a bowl. The clay is gathered from the foothills around Santa Clara. The bowl is formed from this clay, and then left to dry, which can take up to a month. The design is then penciled onto the clay and Nathan begins to carve into the clay with a knife blade and a series of small screwdrivers. The piece is then sanded and the slip is applied and stone polished. Each piece is individually fired in a special shed Nathan has constructed. After the firing, there is still more work, as the red pieces require up to an additional ten or fifteen hours of cleaning to make them ready for sale!

Nathan’s pottery is among the most sought after by collectors. His pieces can be found in the permanent collection of museums around the world. Recently, one of his large vases was made part of the White House Collection of American Crafts. Other recent exhibits have included, "Changing Hands" which began at the American Craft Museum, and has since been traveling around the country.

Nathan has been written about in magazines and virtually every book on Native American art and pottery, including Beyond Traditions, Art of Clay, 14 Families in Pueblo Pottery, 750 Pueblo Potters, Changing Hands, NDN Art and other books as well. His work has been the feature of numerous magazine articles, including the cover of the Indian Market Edition of Southwest Art magazine in 1999.

Nathan Youngblood certainly deserves the name of innovator, as he continually works to redefine the limits of what makes Pueblo pottery unique. To own a piece of pottery by Nathan Youngblood is to have a piece of history in your hands.

Margaret Tafoya (1904 - 2001)

Regarded as one of the great masters of Pueblo ceramics, Margaret Tafoya (1904-2001) is known for her trademark large black polished ceramics, decorated with traditional imagery of rain clouds, water serpents, bear paws, and other symbols. An award-winning artist, she won "Best of Show" at Santa Fe Indian Market two years in a row for two large storage jars (one red and one black). She was also recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, and a National Heritage Fellowship. Among her 12 children, 8 became potters, following in a traditional style of coil built, stone polished and native fired pottery. She has left an important legacy to the Pueblo and the art world which continues to grow with each passing year.

Mela Youngblood (1931-1990)

Mela Youngblood began to make pottery in the 1970's. Although she had a short career, her attention to detail and perfection was a trait passed down to her children and grandchildren. She was the first of Margaret's daughters to make a large storage jar! Her pottery has very traditional designs yet very stylized forms, often with a very sharp shoulder to accent the form.

Previous Works in Clay by Nathan Youngblood from 2005 - 2010