Native American Dorothy and Paul Gutierrez miniature pottery Mudhead Kachina black pottery
Here we have an ADORABLE miniature mudhead figurine that I purchased at an estate as part of a lot by Santa Clara Pueblo wife and husband team Dorothy and Paul Gutierrez. Just as Santa Clara is known for black pottery, the Gutierrezes are known , for their mudhead figural pottery. Black pottery begins with natural red clay gathered from the area. From a website describing the process: "The artist generally rolls the clay into long thin rolls, then begins to 'build' the piece by layering these rolls one on top of the other. This hand coiled method includes smoothing the coils by hand to the pottery's final shape. The artist then begins the arduous task of polishing the piece. This is accomplished by rubbing a smooth 'polishing' stone over the piece over and over until the red clay shines. Finally, the piece is fired in an 'oxygen reduction' firing process. During the firing, the artist smothers the fire with horse manure. The manure traps a thick, carbon rich smoke all around the piece. The carbon contained in the smoke fuses itself into the clay, turning it black. This black color can never be removed or washed off. The entire process is fraught with problems as about 3 of every 5 pieces actually emerge from the fire without damage. Given the rarity of this pottery, artists often view the clay as a living entity. A finished piece is often revered as a gift from what pueblo potters often respectfully refer to as the 'Clay Mother'. The end result is a stunning piece of Native American pottery work of art."
Paul and Dorothy Gutierrez have been married since 1965. Dorothy is Navajo, and Paul is Santa Clara-Tewa Pueblo Indian. Both come from well-known artist families. Dorothy and Paul's mudheads are called "Koshares"; the koshare takes on the role of clown in Indian ceremonial dances, and they are intended to make us smile and remind us to not take life too seriously. This is the third piece from the lot that I bought, and on this one the signature--often done in pencil on top of the clay surface since the graphite shines against the matte finish--has almost completely rubbed off. Fortunately I know the provenance and can attest to the artist. Here is a link to the pieces that I sold by the artist couple: https://www.etsy.com/transaction/1239612820.
The pottery mudhead offered here measures about 4" long from elbow to toe and 2" tall, and about an inch in depth. Completely hand made and thus carry the perfect imperfections of hand made pieces. No chips or cracks. Remnants of signature on the bottom.
Because sometimes we just need to smile!
*************
Please convo with questions, or call (505) 369-6865. Will return your call as soon as possible.
*************
Visit our Native American section: https://romaarellano.com/shop/17770535/native-american-tribal
And all items: http://romaarellano.com
Shipping from United States
Processing time
1 business day
Estimated shipping times
- North America : 4 - 12 weeks
- Europe : 6 - 16 weeks
- Australia, New Zealand and Oceania : 6 - 16 weeks
- Asia Pacific : 6 - 16 weeks
- Latin America and the Caribbean : 6 - 16 weeks
I'll do my best to meet these shipping estimates, but can't guarantee them. Actual delivery time will depend on the shipping method you choose.
Customs and import taxes
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
Payment Options
Returns & Exchanges
I gladly accept returns and cancellations
Just contact me within: 14 days of delivery
Ship items back to me within: 30 days of delivery
Conditions of return
Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.
Privacy policy
This Privacy Policy describes how and when your data are collected and used when you purchase an item from this shop or romaarellano.com, also administered by etsy.com. This Privacy Policy does not apply to the practices of third parties, including Etsy or any third party services you access through Etsy. You can reference the Etsy Privacy Policy to learn more about its privacy practices.
Etsy or PayPal, depending on which you use, administers payments, and therefore protects your financial per their respective privacy policies. This shop does not have access to credit card or bank details.
Information Collected by this Shop
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
To fulfill your order, you provide information through Etsy, such as name, email address, postal address, payment information, and details of the product ordered. You may also choose to provide additional personal information regarding the order if you contact the shop directly.
This shop collects, uses, and shares your information for specific tasks such as:
• providing services to fulfill your order, to settle disputes should any occur, and provide customer support;
• when you have provided consent, which you may revoke at any time, by signing up for a mailing list or request detail of future product availability;
• to comply with a legal obligation or court order or in connection with a legal claim, such as retaining information about your purchases if required by tax law; and
• as necessary for the purpose of legitimate interests such as Compliance with the Etsy Seller Policy and Terms of Use.
Information about this shop's customers is necessary to our business. Personal information is used for specific and limited reasons and circumstances, as follows:
• Information is shared with Etsy as necessary to provide services and comply with obligations under both the Etsy Seller Policy and Etsy Terms of Use.
• If we sell or merge this business, we may disclose your information as part of that transaction, only to the extent permitted by law.
• We may collect, use, retain, and share your information if we have a good faith belief that it is reasonably necessary to: (a) respond to legal process or to government requests; (b) enforce my agreements, terms and policies; (c) prevent, investigate, and address fraud and other illegal activity, security, or technical issues; or (d) protect the rights, property, and safety of our customers, or others.
Data Retention
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
We retain customer personal information only for as long as necessary to provide you with services, as described in this Privacy Policy and to comply with any legal and regulatory obligations, to resolve disputes should any arise, and to enforce agreements. For tax purposes, we generally keep customer data for seven years.
If you have any questions regarding data privacy, please contact the shop owner via the built-in messaging system. Thank you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Worldwide Shipping, Processing & Insurance
• We ship to many parts of the world. On any listing, enter your zip or postal code into the Shipping box to find out if your country is included and how much it will cost. If you find we do not ship to your country, contact us to find out if we might be able to.
• We ship within 1-3 days of order via USPS, Fed Ex, and UPS. and any order of $100 or more will be insured via third party insurance.
• Any package valued at $250 or more will require Signature upon delivery. Third Party insurer requires Signature in certain cases, so please do not ask that we ship without Signature as this creates a risk we are not willing to take.
Returns & Refunds
• We accept returns. Per our policies, contact us within 14 days of delivery. Return shipping with insurance and tracking is at your expense. We process refunds once the item is returned in the same condition received.
• If your item arrives damaged, photograph it with packaging so we may make a claim.
• Returning an item is no fun; contact us before buying to ask questions or request additional photos. I'd rather talk you out of something vs your being disappointed with a purchase!
• Our top priority is your positive experience with this shop, and our greatest hope is that you LOVE the item purchased!
Do you do layaways?
We can work with you on a payment plan with immediate down payment up to two months for full payment.
Note that layaways past due over 30 days go into default. Once in default the transaction is cancelled and layaway payments are not returnable due to having removed items from the market and losing potential sales.
Convo to talk about a layaway plan that works for your budget.
Do you accept offers?
Please, no offers. We receive so much correspondence daily that we are unable to respond to offer requests.
We have loyal customers who return again and again and use the repeat customer discount coupon for 10% off. We set fair prices from the get-go. If something is expensive, you know it's good.
We do run sales occasionally, so watch for those. And we value community. Whether you are a returning customer, Facebook friend, or Instagram follower--our thanks to you is 10% off for supporting this shop. Please go to the About section of the main shop page and click on the social media links. Follow us on one of those platforms, convo to say you've done so and we'll send you the coupon code for 10% off.
Will you reserve or hold items?
We do NOT do reserves or holds. Like any business, we use sales proceeds to keep the shop running. We truly can't afford to take items off the market. But even if you have some funds with which to make a down payment, we can do layaway with you. Just convo to say you'd like to do a layaway, and we'll work with you on that route instead of a Hold or Reserve.
Can you tell me SOLD prices?
We get correspondance almost daily asking how much certain items are worth or what the price was of items that have sold, and we can no longer respond to these messages.