Elva nampeyo biography of alberta

Her parents were Fannie Nampeyo and Vinton Polacca. Her grandmother Nampeyo had led a revival of ancient traditional pottery and established a family tradition of pottery making. As a child Elva would watch her grandmother make pottery and later her mother taught Elva and her siblings the craft of pottery making. Nampayo went on to marry Richard Tewaguna and had five children, four of whom, Neva, Elton, Miriam and Adelle followed in the family pottery making tradition.

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Elva nampeyo biography of alberta

Unlock exclusive artist performance data. Art History. Book Reviews. Thoughout her career as a potter, Richard Tewaguna, her husband, never became involved in her pottery making. Elva specialized in black-and-red-on-yellow bowls and jars with traditional Hopi migration pattern designs and eagle motifs. On occasion she would break from tradition and try some designs of her own invention but her pieces most often resembled the works of her mother and grandmother.

Elva took great pleasure in making pottery and could form as many as eight pots in a day. All sign their work with their first names followed by "Nampeyo" and an ear of corn. Nampayo became an expert at decorating and painting pottery. She specialized in black and red on yellow bowls and jars with traditional migration designs and eagle motifs.

Her pieces most often resembled the works of her mother and grandmother. On occasion she could be persuaded to break from tradition and try some designs of her own invention. Nampeyo signed her pottery as "Elva Nampeyo" followed by the corn clan symbol which was initiated by her mother Fannie. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk.