Pleasure and delightenment(to coin a phrase) are the things I feel when I have the pleasure of viewing a piece from the Nampeyo Family Art work. Fannie Nampeyo was the matriarch of a solid line of Hopi Pottery artists specializing in care and meticulous results. She lived between the years of 1860ish-1930ish, exact dates are debatable.1Hopi Pottery is a form of art originating from the Navajo Nation in the Northeastern Arizona region. What makes this art so special is that it is hand created in an exclusive area called Hano, the Mecca of Hopi Artists. Fannie Nampeyo is praised and famed for founding the method used to create Hopi pottery art which is the unique way of firing the clay to create it's signature smooth orange hue.2
Years of History, perseverance of life and tradition despite often times inhospitable3 conditions have lead to a seamless culmination of soulful art expression in Fannie Nampeyo's art. Her traditions live on through her descendants and their persistent respect for what she's created. Her work has touched many lives of all ages, nationalities and regions to etch a place in our world, beyond the art, as a creative force to inspire many.
Knowing that her handmade work would rival that of any modern technology used to create a smooth refined piece solidifies my belief that , each piece tells a story and in my opinion, holds a bit of the soul and spirit of it's potter.
Sources: 1. http://www.artssouthwest.com/pottery/artists.html 2. http://www.canyonart.com/hopipots.htm 3. Blair M. E., Blair L. A. The Legend of a Master Potter: Nampeyo and Her Decendents
