IMPORTANT NOTE: I have now had three people in the space of a week tell me that they sent me e-mail through the Contact form on our Web site that I never received. I have no idea how many more there might be. Some messages are still coming through fine. I'm not positive, but it looks like it might be a browser issue with customers who use Chrome; I'll need more info before I can determine what's going on. If you have sent me e-mail through the Web site, please re-send via your e-mail program to Ajijaakwe [at] gmail [dot] com, or Kosmail me, and I'll respond to any questions you might have. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Last weekend, Sara R launched the
Spring, 2013 edition of the Kos Katalogue. We have dozens of artists, craftspeople, and merchants on this site who create and sell wonderful products and services, and whose businesses need support. With spring officially here, we have lots of gift opportunities in the offing - Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduations, weddings, new babies, and of course all the usual birthdays and other festivities. This week's focus is intended to let people get a jump on Mother's Day, with gifts appropriate for mothers, grandmothers, or any person in your life who fills a similar role.
Sprite by Andrew Lang, image from wikipedia
Last winter, the Kos Katalogue launched the Secret Santa program: Kossacks nominated people (themselves or others) for specific items for Kos Katalogue merchants, and orange elves went to work donating to make it happen. It's now Spring, and Santa's busy prepping for Christmas, but never fear - we have the Sprite of Spring! Kind of like Rite of Spring, only with more bling: She helps make sure that Spring-y gifts make it to their intended owners. It all works exactly the same way, so if you want something from Wings's inventory but can't justify spending the money on yourself, or if you know of someone who you think needs a particular piece, let me know in comments or Kosmail, and I'll put them on the list. See the tip jar for our first nominee.
WINGS: HANDS ON SILVER
When it comes to gifts for mothers, I have to begin with what is really Wings's most fundamental signature design: the Warrior Woman pin. The first one was made for his mother, whose courage and strength in the face of her own illness inspired him in countless ways. It turned out to be so beautiful, and so appropriate, that he began to make new versions - no two ever identical - first in her honor, and eventually, in her memory. Now, every Warrior Woman is created in his mother's memory, and in honor of the strength of all women.
We have four Warrior Woman pins available, each made with a different stone. The two shown immediately below have not yet been uploaded to the Web site.
This Warrior Woman, Morning Rain, holds a cabochon of rose quartz, the color of the dawn sky, in her right hand. In her left is that traditional symbol of womanhood, the crescent moon, hand-stamped with rainclouds. On her regalia are blossoms opened by the rain. $225 + $10 shipping/insurance.
Here, Earth Wisdom holds in her right hand a tiger's eye the color of the rich local soil. Night blossoms adorn her crescent moon, and Eyes of Spirit (a sign of wisdom) accents her dress. $225 + $10 shipping/insurance.
Is there a wise woman in your life? An elder, a teacher, a grandmother? Maybe she needs a little of Grandmother Spider's power:
Spider Woman has great power in a number of different traditions. Here, her body is formed of a large lapis cabochon; her head, of Sleeping Beauty turquoise. The setting and band are sterling silver, her eight legs hand-split and hand-stamped with crescent moons. The price is high on this one, but worth every penny, in materials alone, to say nothing of the workmanship involved: $1,200, + $25 shipping/insurance.
Much more American Indian art over the jump.
A note from Aji: As you may know, we are currently without brick-and-mortar gallery space, making the online gallery Web site our only sales space while we wait for the new location to be readied for use. In addition, the entire Pueblo, and the gallery with it, was closed for annual ceremonies for two months beginning the last week of February. Wings is low on silver for use in making new art, with a couple of commissioned pieces already in the pipeline, so we must limit new commissions until we begin making steady sales again. For that reason, I'm going to ask people to confine their "Sprite of Spring" requests to existing pieces for now. In addition to what appears in this diary, there is much more on the Web site. We also have a large amount of art by other area tribal artists, including some jewelry pieces, that does not appear in either place. If you're interested in knowing what some of those pieces are, leave me a comment below or send me a Kosmail, telling me what type of art or jewelry interests you.
Now, on to a few items from our current inventory:
BRACELETS
Bracelets are a traditional Native art form; among Southwestern peoples, cuff bracelets are iconic. Wings has a wide array of bracelets currently available - some with gemstones; some without. Examples of gemstones in existing bracelets include various shades of turquoise (including Sacred White Buffalo), lapis, moonstone onyx, picture jasper, and staurolite. Plain metals include sterling silver and copper.
Here are Wings's two most recent cuffs:
Moon's Eye features a dual-strand cuff, split by hand and hand-stamped with Eye of Spirit symbols. The center cabochon is rainbow moonstone, with lots of misty blue and rose undertones. $325 + $10 shipping/insurance. SOLD.
North Star is his newest, and intended to be worn by either a woman or a man. It features five hand-scored rows along the length of the cuff; three overlays of varying sizes, in the shape of the Four Sacred Directions, are placed at intervals and hand-stamped. $325 + $10 shipping/insurance.
We also have some smaller cuffs suitable for younger wearers and slender wrists:
Heaven's Eye features a round cabochon of Sleeping Beauty turquoise resting in a diamond-shaped (eye-shaped) setting. The stone is flanked by two hand-stamped sterling silver beads, and sits above a band of dual-strand triangle wire. $325 + $10 shipping/insurance.
These are two very slim, lightweight cuffs, each set with three tiny gemstone cabochons. On the left is Water Stalk, with garnet, lapis, and rose quartz cabs across the top; on the right, Twisted Branch holds garnet, Sleeping Beauty turquoise, and moonstone cabs. The top of each cuff looks like pre-texturized silver, but the patterns are made with dozens of tiny hand-stamped patterns. Each is $145 + $10 shipping/insurance. (Note: Neither of these currently appears on the Web site.)
Is there a woman in your life with arthritis or other health issues? About a year and a half ago, Wings decided to make some copper bracelets for me to see whether they would help with the pain in my arms and hands. I can't prove that they are what made the difference, but I do know that, despite a very difficult winter, the pain in my hands was more manageable this year. He used the leftover copper to make a few pieces for sale (in addition to these two, one other appears on the Web site). Both of these bracelets are made in what is known as the anticlastic style: The outer band of the cuff slopes gently upward on either side. It's a beautiful look.
This cuff, Copper Lake, is made of (surprise!) copper, gently hammered by hand to create a textured, shimmery effect. $175 + $10 shipping/insurance.
This is Molten Sky, made from the same sheet of copper, but instead of being texturized, it's been buffed to a mirror sheen. $175 + $10 shipping/insurance.
Many more bracelets appear on the Web site.
EARRINGS
We're relatively low in inventory when it comes to earrings by Wings himself, although we have numerous pairs by other area Native artists. At the high end are sterling silver slab-style inlay drop earrings by Priscilla Aguilar of Kewa Pueblo, made with such gemstones as turquoise, lapis, serpentine, and pipestone ($175 a pair + $10 shipping/insurance). At mid-range are carved bone and stone earrings and old pawn pieces in the $75-$100 range by a variety of Taos Pueblo, Zuni, and Navajo artists. And at the lower-priced end are carved alabaster and slate feather earrings and drops made from a variety of stones by Taos Pueblo's Jeremy Gomez, $35-$45 ($10 shipping/insurance on each).
We do, however, have a few remaining pairs by Wings himself:
These earrings, Evening Star, are square sterling silver drops, hand-stamped and accented with hand-stamped sterling silver overlays centered by tiny tiger's eye cabochons. $145 + $10 shipping/insurance.
This pair is one of my favorites, the big and bold Sun Serpent earrings. These are all hand-cut, -shaped, and -stamped sterling silver, lightly domed in the center. Encircling the domed center are individually hand-stamped rows of scales, creating an infinite serpent; sun symbols dance around the scalloped edges. $235 + $10 shipping/insurance.
See the Web site for other examples, or contact me for information about earrings by other Native artists.
NECKLACES
You wouldn't know it by today's snow, but spring has truly arrived here - lots of green grass and buds on the trees, and yesterday, I saw our first butterfly of the season. Can the hummingbirds and dragonflies be far behind?
This is LittleFeathers, a hummingbird and one of Spirit's messengers. Hand-cut from sterling silver with hand-stamped feathers, she has a dark red garnet cabochon at her heart. $325 + $10 shipping/insurance.
Twilight Dancer, a dragonfly, is another messenger of Spirit. This one is fully three-dimensional, with hand-stamped sterling silver round wire forming both body and wings. Her eyes are tiny amethyst cabochons. $325 + $10 shipping/insurance.
There are several other necklaces and pendants, including Wings's newest, a miniature replica tobacco flask on a buckskin thong, at the Web site.
PINS
Every woman needs pins - they go on everything, from lapels to collars to scarves to hats. Here are a few more of Wings's most recent ones:
If you've ever visited Taos Pueblo, you'll recognize it's iconic architecture. Here, Wings has reproduced a section of North House in another of his signature series, the Taos Pueblo pin. This one, Tiwa Mist, bears a mysteriously misty opal cabochon at one of the windows of the old house. $225 + $10 shipping/insurance.
This is another of the new Warrior Woman pins, Spirit Mist. She holds an opal cabochon in her right hand; bear paws, medicine symbols, accent the moon in her left. Diamond-shaped Eyes of Spirit dance down the front of her traditional dress. $225 + $10 shipping/insurance.
Here we have the last of the new Warrior Woman pins, Sacred Spaces. The name comes from the kiva steps patterns on the front of her regalia, each centered by a traditional sun symbol. Hand-stamped hearts - another sacred space - accent the moon in her left hand; she holds a tiny lapis stone in her right. $225 + $10 shipping/insurance. RESERVED for Mnemosyne, via the "Sprite of Spring" gift list.
Is there a woman in your life for whom trees are special? Then maybe she needs Evergreen, a sterling silver pin cut in the shape of our native piñon tree. Here, hand-stamping creates blossoms and cones, and three gemstone cabochons accent her boughs. Turquoise represents sky and daylight; onyx, the earth and night; and jade, the tree's own evergreen branches that remain constant in every time and the season. $95 + $10 shipping/insurance.
There are more pins, including two in Wings's signature Spirit Horse design, on the Web site.
RINGS
Wings recently created a series of five new rings, all posted on the Web site. Each is made of a rounded band of dual-strand lightweight sterling silver, buffed with an antiqued-looking Florentine finish. Each has a different gemstone cabochon: deep red coral in an oval shape; a round clear garnet; round denim lapis; a square turquoise stone with a dappled matrix; and round green turquoise with a copper matrix, shown below.
Above is SkyWatcher, one of the new series of rings: It's a molded sterling silver band, hand-stamped with symbols of the Eye of Spirit, with a soft Florentine finish. At the top, in a saw-toothed bezel, rests a Skystone (turquoise) in an unusual shade of seafoam green with a coppery matrix. $125 + $10 shipping/insurance.
This ring, created last winter, is ideal for a woman you love: Hearts Aflame. The focal point is the brilliant coral cabochon, flanked on either side of the sterling silver band by a hand-stamped heart. This sculpted band has a polished finish. $135 + $10 shipping/insurance.
There are other rings on the Web site, including a couple of sterling silver men's rings.
OTHER NATIVE ART
Fetishes and Miniatures
This is small example of the many fetishes we have in stock. This little striated pink alabaster bear wears an offering bundle of a shell bird and a feather, and sits atop an alabaster base. The carver is Taos Pueblo's Justin Gomez, and we have three more of his little bears in stock, all of various shades of white, pink, and orange alabaster. $30 + $10 shipping/insurance.
This shows some of the variety of fetishes and miniature pots we have in stock. Miniature micaceous pots and wedding vases are by Bernadette Track, Olivia Martinez, and Leticia Gomez (all of Taos Pueblo), and run between $15 and $35 each (+ $10 shipping/insurance). Fetishes include bears, beavers, buffalo, turtles, and an array of different birds, and are by a variety of Taos Pueblo and Zuni carvers; prices range from $30 to $158 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
Above I mentioned miniature pots by Bernadette Track; here's a close-up of a few. They're of micaceous clay; most remaining pieces are little pots, but we have one or two miniature wedding vases left. Prices range from $20 to $35 each ((+ $10 shipping/insurance).
These are traditional storytellers by Taos Pueblo's Aaron Mirabal, made of micaceous clay and hand-painted. The larger ones stand about 3.5" high and are $125 each ; the smaller ones sit about 2.25" high and are priced at $55 each (+ $10 shipping/insurance for either size).
Katsinam (Kachinas)
Josh Aragon (Hopi/Laguna) carves katsinam in the traditional Hopi way of his ancestors, of a single piece of cottonwood root. He's also known for extending and expanding the identity and power of the figures he carves by creating dual-faced and dual-sided katsinam - as with this Dual Maiden figure. One side wears the deep turquoise dress of the Blue Corn Maiden; the other, Red Corn Maiden's scarlet hues. Hand-painted, with carved strands of hair held in traditional Hopi butterfly rolls. Stands just over 13.5" from base to feather tip. $375 + shipping/insurance (fragile; extra shipping charges apply).
Aya, "The Runner," also by Josh Aragon, is hand-carved from cottonwood root in the traditional manner. This katsina stands approximately 9.5" from base to feather tip. He wears the customary sack mask and carries an eagle feather in lieu of a yucca whip. $175 + shipping/insurance (fragile; extra shipping charges apply).
Micaceous Pottery
Juanita Suazo DuBray is one of Taos Pueblo's master potters, and Wings's aunt. Self-taught, she has developed a specialty in "Corn Pots": traditional micaceous pottery with one or more ears of corn sculpted in relief on the side. (She has extended the corn motif to her storytellers and figurative pieces, as well.) This little pot is designed with a traditional open "kiva steps" pattern in the front, accented by the ear of corn in relief, and a single natural turquoise nugget. Roughly 5" high X 5" across at widest point. $450 + shipping/insurance (fragile; extra shipping and handling charges apply).
This is a Four Sacred Directions pot in an ancient traditional pattern revived by internationally-renowned master potter Angie Yazzie (Taos Pueblo/Diné). It's made of hand-coiled micaceous clay, and is incredibly thin and uniform. Roughly 4" high X 8.25" across at widest point. $250 + shipping/insurance (fragile; extra shipping and handling charges apply).
Many more pieces of tribal art appear on the Web site, including additional katsinam, drums, and sculpture. We also have numerous items that do not appear there, including dreamcatchers, flutes, leatherwork, medicine wheels, other pottery, paintings, rattles, walking sticks, and much more. If you're looking for something specific that you don't see, contact me with details.
NOTE: Please watch for and support Sara R's Kos Katalogue diary this evening, around 5PM PDT TOMORROW, for Winglion Quilts and Pootie Pads.
Chi miigwech and ta'a.