This pot has a fine-line collage of katchinas and geometric designs. The neck is off-center to the body of the pot, but it is the painting on the pot shoulder that makes the pot extraordinary. Jake combined traditional katchina and pot images into a unique collage; the design is very finely done. It seems to me that such perfection generally looks like a decal and leaves a pot looking cold, but in this case, the unbalance and energy of the design works very well. If the images were “unrolled” and enlarged on a wall, they would make a powerful mural.
Pot 2004-08 is representative of Jake’s mature style. As he became more experienced as a potter, his designs became increasingly intricate and finely drawn. He is the only potter to ever win the “Best of Show” prizes the same year (2005) at both the Heard Museum show in March and the SWIAA Indian Market the following August. Some argued he was the finest young potter at Hopi, “successor to Dextra.” Tragically his potting career spanned only about two decades; he died 6/14/11, age 41.
For other pots in the collection by Jake, see the Artist List.
