Apr 19 2009
She nourishes us; that which we put into the ground she returns to us.The creative and spiritual potters of the Southwest don’t begin their beautiful pottery by bringing home clay from the local arts and crafts store. They have special, and often secret, places where they find their clay. The digging of the clay is the first step of creating a beautiful piece of pottery. Without the special clay, often found close to home on Pueblo lands, and the natural dyes created from stone and plants, also from the Land, a Pueblo pot would be just another piece of ceramic. Something draws me to Pueblo pots and the artists who create them. It is the relationship they have with the Mother Earth and the beauty that they draw from that relationship which intrigues me.
Following the New Mexico Ancient Arts Trail
On a beautiful winter day when I was following the Ancient Arts Trail in the countryside around Gallup and Grants, I decided to see if Noreen Simplicio, well-known Zuni potter , might be available for a visit. She is listed in the Ancient Way Arts Trail brochure but I knew she was often away from home showing at places like the Santa Fe Indian Market. I was surprised when she said she would be home and invited me to meet with her.
Corn Mesa and the Beautiful Zuni Land
Noreen gave me directions to her home, not far off the main road that travels in to Zuni. I love driving to Zuni, stopping to admire the beauty of Corn Mesa, or Dowa Yalanne, an imposing mesa once used as a haven of safety and fortress by the Zuni people. When I see Dowa Yalanne, I know I am in a special place.
Visiting Noreen Simplicio – Award-Winning Zuni Potter
Noreen Simplicio’s home is a traditional one, but her studio is newly remodeled and painted bright white. Noreen is used to opening her home to collectors and students and has some beautiful large pots as examples of her fine work. She was painting a border around this room with the traditional Zuni designs that she known for. What a unique touch this special border is bringing to her workspace.
She had a several works in progress in the studio which fascinated me but first I was interested in learning about Noreen and how she became a renowned potter.
Some potters I have visited come from a long family history of potters. But Noreen is different. She actually learned her art in high school in 1977, right in Zuni. Her instructor was Jennie Laate, an Acoma woman. Noreen knew she had talent and was eager to learn how to make pottery. After high school she met another Acoma woman named Angelina Medina and began selling her work.
In 1988, Noreen entered her first art competition. She received an Award of Excellence. Her career took off, winning awards in the world-renowned Santa Fe Indian Market and attracting the attention of collectors. Her pottery is now highly sought-after.
Noreen showed me her “Pueblo Pots,” which have become a signature item for her. She features miniature pueblo scenes on the rims of the pots, her unique creation. She also is known for her miniatures and seed pots embellished with raised lizards and frogs.
But what I enjoy most about Noreen’s pottery is her traditional, yet personally created, designs with Zuni symbols, deer with heartlines and big chrysanthemum-style flowers. It was such a pot that sat on her desk partially painted. It drew my eye. It had a unique shape and lip. Like with many potters, the pots evolve in the potters’ hands. It is such a pot that I look for rather than a copy of another creation by the artist. This pot had character and it was fun to see the color of the natural paint before it was fired.
Noreen is also an important part of the Zuni community. She has taught pottery-making at the high school and is a fitness instructor. I was pleased to know she took time to run on the local track and teach fitness classes as her craft has taken it’s toll on her shoulders and hands. She is an ambitious artist, a hard worker who not only creates collectible works of art, she makes herself available to provide pottery prizes for local school competitions.
Kenneth Epaloose – Noreen’s Talented Son
I learned that Noreen’s son, Kenneth Epaloose, was becoming quite an artist in his own right. Learning from his mother, and taking the same high school class that she did, provided a spring-board for his career. Noreen showed me pictures of Kenneth, who had been working with clay since he was 4. I was amazed at his talent. Apparently others are as well as one of his pottery necklaces was purchased by the Museum of San Diego for their collection. Kenneth is just a teen-ager but already is showing in such shows as the Heard Museum Student Art Show. He is definitely someone to watch as his career progresses.
Purchasing a Treasure
I traveled back to Gallup that night and thought of Noreen as she pushed her own creative talents in a struggle with a large pottery bowl which liked to cave in and break as the piece evolved. Seeing this pot and hearing about Noreen’s trials and tribulations as she worked the clay helped me understood why she said that she liked the painting part of pottery making the best.
I thought about Noreen, her personal warmth and creative talents and called her the next day to purchase the pot which I had seen on her desk… the partially painted one with the unique shape and lip. It was to be beautifully painted with flowers, Zuni designs and deer.
It now sits on my dining room table as a reminder of a spiritual circle which has drawn the beauty of the earth to my home – a special treasure from Zuni.
Editors Note: Noreen Simplicio can be reached by calling 505.782.2543 or writing to her at: P.O. Box 324, Zuni, New Mexico 87327.
