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- 22-0205 John Gonzales San Ildefonso Turquoise Heishe with Feathers
22-0205 John Gonzales San Ildefonso Turquoise Heishe with Feathers
ca 2001
Size: 3.25" x 5"
Has rim flake as pictured
From a Private Colorado Collection
Excellent Condition
John Gonzales was born at San Ildefonso Pueblo in 1955. When he was a child, his family was "relocated" to a mid-western city, so he lived away from the Pueblo for the first 8 years of his life.
In early 1991, John decided that he needed to return home to New Mexico and to reinvolve himself in Pueblo life. He had no expectation of the complete change in direction that his life would take. With the encouragement of his father, Lorenzo, a well-established potter, John immersed himself into the centuries old tradition of pottery making.
He attributes the ease of his transition from a life in politics to a career in art to the assistance of his father and sister. They made clay, slips and polishing stones available, but, more importantly, they shared their expertise. It didn't take long for John to realize that he had a gift for working with clay. His doubts about whether he could make a living from his art work soon vanished.