Seed Jar with Sikyatki Motifs 1895 - 1910

This seed jar with Sikyatki motifs was made by Nampeyo at an unknown date, but look at the way the design just blossoms across its surface, like an idea taking shape. The palette is restrained, earth tones and creams, giving it a grounded, elemental feel. Notice how the dark brown lines aren’t perfectly crisp, but have a kind of wobble? That’s the hand, right there, not trying to be perfect, but present. And those cream-colored swirls, coiling out like smoke, or maybe thoughts. They remind me of how a potter coaxes a form from the clay, slowly, intuitively. The jar feels both ancient and alive, a testament to Nampeyo's connection to tradition, but also her own way of seeing. You know, it puts me in mind of Hilma af Klint, another artist mining ancient, elemental forms to express something deeply felt. Art is always a conversation, a call and response across time. It’s not about answers, but the questions we keep asking.