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Rainy Naha
Hopi-Tewa |
Artist Biography . . .
Like a white eagle
feather floating in the air, the work of Rainy Naha has an equal
light form,
variance of color and majestic pattern. Rainy's intricate designs make her
pieces stand out among the children of Helen Naha (Featherwoman). Thin
walled vessels in both traditional and contemporary shapes are the basis for her
work. The designs painted onto the vessels often incorporate her mother's work,
such as the Awatovi Star or bat wing patterns. However, Rainy has also brought
her own images to life. As an active long distance runner, Rainy often
finds pottery shards, which she then
studies and may incorporate into her work.
Afterwards, she returns the shards to the earth. Hummingbirds and parrots,
bear paws and clouds are Rainy's additions to her family's designs.
Frequently, pieces have "eternity belt" design, usually around the neck or
shoulder of the bowl. This traditional imagery reflects the continuity of
the Hopi-Tewa people. In addition to her imagery, Rainy has also added
more clay slips to her work with the pieces often having up to five different
colors!
Rainy, a member of
the Spider/Stick clan, learned to make pottery from her mother, Helen Naha.
Each piece begins with the use of traditional clay. After the piece is
sanded, the white slip is applied. In this difficult step, if the white
slip is not polished at the right speed, it will begin to peel off the bowl.
Finally, the
design is painted onto the bowl and it is fired outside in the traditional
manner. Rainy is methodical in her work and one of her larger
pieces may
take up to 100 hours to complete, from forming the bowl to firing!
Rainy has won numerous awards at Santa Fe Indian Market, Eight Northern Pueblos, the Heard Indian Market and other events. In 1997 she won the "Challenge Award for Best Traditional Pottery" or the "Helen Naha (Featherwoman) Award". And the circle continues, as Rainy wins more awards and appears in more books. The evolution of her work is truly a wonder to behold.
copyright King Galleries of Scottsdale and Rainy Naha, 2004,2005
