Randy worked in a variety of art forms: painting, kachina carving, and—to a lesser degree—clay. One iconic product of his art was plain ladles with straight handles topped by carved wooden kachinas.
Undecorated and unsigned, the graceful presence of this little ladle is a testimony to the artistic genius of its maker. The effect is entirely due to the sculptural form of the piece: the round bowl flows smoothly into a short curved handle, which comfortably fits both the hand and eye. Mark Tahbo’s ladle (see 1995-10) achieves a similar effect. Contrast these two ladles to the sturdy utilitarian ladles also in the collection (see 2008-15a and 2008-15b).
Randy died in the late summer of 2008 and the Homolovi park staff says they “lost a friend.” They are planning a retrospective of his work (mostly paintings).
