Ambrose Atencio is a Santo Domingo potter who is in his forties. He is a regular exhibitor at Santa Fe's Indian Market and a very prolific potter. We find him to be one of the most compelling potter's from Santo Domingo Pueblo. His work is technically accomplished and his style is very traditional with evolving aspects specific to his search for mastery. He often paints birds, florals and geometrics. He is known for his thin slips which permit a translucence at the surface of his pots so that, depending on the light, the red clay foundation is perceived to greater or lesser degree. A photograph of Ambrose and an examples of his work are shown on page 59 of Dr. Gregory Schaaf's book Southern Pueblo Pottery: 2,000 Artist Biographies.

This is a nice-sized jar at 8 1/2" tall with excellent symmetry to its shape and painting. Note that this pot was made in 2002 (and we acquired it at that time). Since 2002, Ambrose has moved more towards geometric shapes in his designs. In this instance, he painted the classic Santo Domingo bird motif with florals. But most interesting, perhaps, is his thin slip and his tendency to experiment with the dual color inherent in the pot. The thin slip, when in sunlight, is reflective and makes the pot appear lighter in color as light reflects at the surface of the pot. In shade, the pot tends to absorb light and allow the pinkness of the clay to visually bleed through from underneath the slip. This example of his work from 2002 foreshadows his further experimentation with his clay slips as a device to alter a pot's appearance depending on the light shining on it. By 2004, Ambrose had even begun to streak his light-colored slip onto the pot's surface to more dramatically illustrate the influence of various types of light on the pot. The dark brown to black paint is from wild spinach, the orange paint is natural mineral paint.

This is a hand-coiled vessel made from clay gathered in a traditional manner at Santo Domingo Pueblo. Signed "Ambrose Atencio" and marked "Kewa" (Santo Domingo Pueblo) and dated 2002.

Height: 8 1/2"          Diameter: 9 1/2"          Opening: 5 1/8"

Largest girth: 30"          Base: 3 5/8"

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