Monday, August 31, 2015
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Paul St. John: Sweet Grass and Quill White Crow Basket
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| Paul St. John |
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| Paul St. John |
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| Paul St. John |
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| Paul St. John |
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| Paul St. John |
A rare white crow with Wabanaki double-curve symbols of porcupine quill enhance this basket by Mohawk craftsman, Paul St. John. With the use of the natural brown tips of the quills, St. John accents the wing, legs and neck of this strutting bird. The addition of the double curve with triangles at center Wabanaki design at top and bottom makes for more nice design elements.
This basket is one of St. John's larger-sized, coiled tidal sweetgrass, round, sewing baskets. It is 8-inches in diameter and 3.5-inches high. The birch bark medallion at center top is 6.5-inches in diameter. There is a braided border of tidal sweetgrass around the lid's birchbark medallion.
Paul's Passamaquoddy (his mother's tribe) name is the word for "crow" -- Kahkakuhs. The crow is a highly-intelligent bird with a sassy attitude. Paul's rendition of this crow hints at both its intellect and attitude. A white/albino crow is rare, and several Native American tribes -- including the Kiowa and Sioux -- have legends and stories about white crows.
St. John makes coiled tidal sweetgrass baskets with a variety of animals and bird (and some floral designs), created with porcupine quills on their lids.
Paul St. John lives in Maine, near his mother's family. She is Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and MicMac. He grew up on the Mohawk lands in New York (his father's homeland) and is an enrolled Mohawk tribal member. While quill work and coiled sweetgrass baskets are historically Maine Native traditional crafts, currently no one in Maine but Paul St. John is actively practicing this craft. Passamaquoddy basketmakers, Jeremy Frey and Otter, both have used some quill work on their baskets -- but quill work on coiled sweetgrass baskets are Paul St. John's specialty.
St. John makes coiled tidal sweetgrass baskets with a variety of animals and bird (and some floral designs), created with porcupine quills on their lids.
Paul St. John lives in Maine, near his mother's family. She is Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and MicMac. He grew up on the Mohawk lands in New York (his father's homeland) and is an enrolled Mohawk tribal member. While quill work and coiled sweetgrass baskets are historically Maine Native traditional crafts, currently no one in Maine but Paul St. John is actively practicing this craft. Passamaquoddy basketmakers, Jeremy Frey and Otter, both have used some quill work on their baskets -- but quill work on coiled sweetgrass baskets are Paul St. John's specialty.
Grace Medicine Flower
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| Grace Medicine Flower |
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| Grace Medicine Flower |
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| Grace Medicine Flower |
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| Grace Medicine Flower |
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Friday, August 21, 2015
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Ray Adakai Sterling Silver Cuffs
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| Ray Adakai |
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| Ray Adakai |
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| Ray Adakai |
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| Ray Adakai |
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| Ray Adakai |
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| Ray Adakai |
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| Ray Adakai |
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| Ray Adakai |
This is a Navajo sterling silver deep-stamped-work cuff by Native American silversmith Ray Adakai.
Master Navajo Silversmith, Ray Adakai is celebrated for his repousse work mimicking 1860s-1930s style Navajo jewelry. The son of Jack Adakai, some of Ray's pieces may also be marked Three Smokes Trading Co.
Harvey Begay Corn Pin
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| Harvey Begay |
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| Harvey Begay |
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| Harvey Begay |
Navajo tufa cast 14k yellow gold and natural fire opal Corn Pin
Harvey Begay was the son of famous Navajo silversmith Kenneth Begay, an acclaimed silversmith who featured in many books written about modern Southwest jewelry. His father and the French jewelry designer, Pierre Tourraine, were large influences on Harvey Begay's work. Harvey Begay passed away in 2009. He was 70 years old.
Harvey lived an exciting life. From ages 14-18 he worked as a benchsmith for White Hogan, where his father also worked. He kept making jewelry while in collage at Arizona State University. He was a combat pilot during the Vietnam War flying F4 Phantom Jets. Following Vietnam, Harvey became a test pilot for McDonnell Douglas. He returned to making jewelry in 1970. In 1973 Harvey opened his own gallery in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. His superb craftmanship and award-winning designs make his pieces highly sought-after, worldwide.
The pin measures 1-5/16" long by 1-5/8" wide, and it weighs 13.6g. It's stamped with the makers hallmark HB and "14k".
Tufa casting is a process used by the Native American silversmiths to produce jewelry, the artisan will first carve in stone the mirror image of the object he wants to cast. Molten silver is then poured into the carved stone and when it cools the piece is removed. Usually only one tufa casting can be made as the fine details in the stone are destroyed when the casting is removed. Tufa casting is the only casting process that produces an original one of a kind.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Yvonne Keshick Walker
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Yvonne Keshick Walker |
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Yvonne Keshick Walker |
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Yvonne Keshick Walker |
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Yvonne Keshick Walker |
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Yvonne Keshick Walker |
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Yvonne Keshick Walker |
"Turtle Back" is a circle-shaped quill box. It is three-inches in diameter.
Yvonne Keshick Walker is member of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. She is the most famous living quillworker. Yvonne recently spent time at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian where Yvonne was a featured artist. In addition to the Smithsonian, Ms. Walker has work in museums across the nation. Additionally, her work was chosen by Governor Granholm of Michigan for an exclusive show at the Governor's mansion. Her work was also featured at the Crooked Tree Arts Center and is on display in a variety of settings in Northern Michigan.
There is beauty, artistry and spirituality found in the Odawa quill art produced today. The gathering of materials used in producing quillart is a seasonal activity. During the season, enough must be gathered to last throughout the year. Raw materials consist of birch bark, sweet grass and porcupine quills. Tools used in fabricating the quill box are simple, consisting of scissors, an awl, tweezers, and a needle and thread. Quill art is an insertion technique whereby the quill is inserted in a small puncture in the bark made by the awl, and pulled tightly into the puncture using the tweezers. No adherents are used to hold the finished product together as this is accomplished by the use of the needle and thread which sews the liners, rails and sweet grass trim to the finished container.
Each piece of quill art is unique, and the intricate traditional woodland designs exemplify the Native American concerns for aesthetics. Quill art is sought after for its' inherent beauty and artistic expression as well as its rarity and uniqueness. The art speaks for itself, but the uniqueness stems from the fact that only a few people on the whole planet produce quill art.
1940s-Era Sterling Silver Navajo Cuffs
Four silver conchas are silver-soldered to the top and bottom rungs of the above piece; three to the middle. The Thunderbird image is affixed near each of the terminals. Traditional Navajo motifs are also hammered in the cuff.
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