Ruby Panana Large Zia Bird/Polychrome Pot
Ruby Panana is a member of the Coyote Clan at Zia Pueblo. She was born on April 8, 1954, the daughter of the great potter Seferina Pino Bell who taught he the art of forming clay into magnificent works of craftsmanship. Ruby went through the fourth grade at the Zia Day School and then went to Albuquerque for her higher grades. She attended West Mesa High School. While in high school, she helped her mother with her pottery, and then began to make some small pieces on her own. She got "bored" and went on to the University of Albuquerque working towards a teaching degree. But at that point, her scholarship money did not cover her expenses, so she had to quit college. Ruby has been active at her craft since 1983. Although she lives at Jemez Pueblo, Ruby creates some of the largest traditional pottery of Zia in the manner of Trinidad Medina and Sofia Medina. Her work consists of polychrome jars, bowls, wedding vases, vases and canteens. But she is best known for the size of her pottery that ends up as large, impressive impeccably painted work or true art.
Ruby's talent has been recognized repeatedly in juried competitions of American Indian pottery. Her first ribbon was a FIRST PLACE in the New Mexico State Fair in 1985 and she has been winning awards ever since. She won both a First Place and Second Place in 1998 at Indian Market in Santa Fe and more recently won the JUDGE'S AWARD in March 1999 at the Heard Museum Guild Market.
The jar shown here is large and decorated with the Zia bird inside circular enclosures surrounded with polychrome and floral designs. The slip is a gorgeous white and the painting is solid and precise. The pot is quite large and impressive, measuring 10 inches tall by 12 wide.
Item No.: A1155
Artist: Ruby Panana
Size: 10 in H x 12 in D
Price: 880
