We are deeply saddened to share that Jackson passed away yesterday after suffering a stroke on Tuesday.

Jackson loved this business—especially the artists he worked with and the clients who appreciated their work. He often said he couldn’t imagine retiring, because this life was such a part of who he was. A gifted storyteller, Jackson frequently shared glimpses of his own life and experiences with you through this newsletter. His humility, warmth, and approachable nature endeared him to so many over the years.

Without question, Bernyce Largo is one of the nicest people anyone could ever know. She is quiet and soft-spoken with a warm smile. She lives in Crownpoint, NM, and works with the school district there.

Oreland C. Joe (Southern Ute/Diné) is regarded as one of the finest sculptural artists in the world. He wanted to be an artist from his early childhood on and never let go of the dream. He traveled to Europe to study the Masters and dedicated himself to refining his work and expanding his horizons.

Helen Hardin's mother, Pablita Velarde, was a groundbreaking Santa Clara artist who experimented with mediums and broke away from the two-dimensional style popular among Native artists of the time.  She was one of the few female artists associated with the early Santa Fe Indian School of Art.

Beginning in the 1970s and continuing until just a few years ago, we had the pleasure of working with a group of sisters from Fort Defiance. Until the 1980s, they spent their summers in the Lukachuki Mountains near Narbona Pass (Crystal, NM) with their sheep.

A perfect gift for the couple who appreciates cultural significance and handmade art!

It has been a long time since we have been able to offer traditional Pueblo wedding vases. Unfortunately, they represent a small percentage of the pottery made in the Pueblos today. They are challenging to make and difficult to make well.

Pictorial weaving has always been a favorite style of weaving in our family. Our father had a great collection; he and Mark Winter included several pictorials when compiling the Durango Collection, which is now housed at the Center for Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College.

Hopi Pottery is one of the most distinctive styles of all the Pueblo ceramic arts. Generally, the background finish varies from white to a soft brown. The designs are painted with dark brown lines and filled with soft to deeper reddish-brown slips. The heavier and more prominent designs are dark brown.

Growing up in the shadow of a famous family artist has benefits and challenges. And when your grandfather is recognized as the premier artist of a certain style, you realize that, as an artist yourself, you will always be compared to the family patriarch.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was not unusual for Navajo people to be referred to by descriptive names, primarily because English-speaking newcomers to the reservation had not yet mastered the pronunciation of the complex Diné language.

In the Southwest, Pueblo Indian tribes generally experience limited rainfall year-round. Dramatic summer storms can be pretty intense. To take advantage of this, Pueblo people have often placed their cornfields near the mouths of the many arroyos that empty out of the mountains, capturing runoff for their crops.

On December 6, 2004, Navajo pictorial weaver Isabel John and her husband Frank were driving from their home at Many Farms, Arizona, to Farmington, New Mexico, to deliver some paperwork for a new truck they had purchased the day before.