My Most Personal Piece: The Stunning Conclusion

Time flies when you are on a mission to complete a task. Before I knew it, the Indian Market was one week away. There was so much to do and that dull pang of anxiety started to creep in. We all are familiar with them. Foremost on my mind was having something ready to submit for The Best of Show competition. I knew I wouldn’t contend for anything but I thought it was good to get your stuff out there and be visible amongst the very best the Market had to offer. However, I misunderstood the date as to when the deadline to submit your work was, and my heart sank. It was a no-brainer to submit Plume for consideration. She was not perfect, but I was happy with my workmanship, especially with the painting. The piece was Classic Cochiti Pueblo Polychrome Pottery, and I was sure this specific style hadn’t been seen in quite some time. Alas, she was not fired yet and would not be ready for submission. Not only was Plume unavailable, but most of my pieces for Market were not ready. Only one, Lion, was eligible. I didn’t even think. I hastily, but carefully, wrapped him in bubble wrap and put him in a Walmart grocery bag and left for Santa Fe in my dirty rez truck, as the deadline was that afternoon.

The Santa Fe Convention Center is always bustling. What an awesome sight it was to behold the sheer amount of artists entering their work and the level of talent that day. I filled out the appropriate paperwork, completed the submission process and then reconnected with a few artist friends. We chuckled at each other's last minute stories and what a show the Market is. We all agreed that no matter how much we pre-plan we are always rushing around at the last minute. We said our goodbyes and I left the premises to work on the rest of my collection. I didn’t realize how exhausted I was until that moment.

I carried on at home as best I could: firing, painting, and polishing. Plume was finally done but would not make her debut until the Market itself. I had an interesting mix of art: polygonal shapes, traditional vessels, and geological forms. I blinked my eyes and then it was Friday, the day before the Market. I was packing all of my inventory and loading them into their appropriate containers. My mind was doing cartwheels: did I pack my Square reader? Should I 3D scan my pieces? Did I take pictures of everything? Where’s my badge? Friday was also the day for participating artists to pick up their submitted artwork. Because there were preview shows and other events going on the artists had to wait until the evening to collect everything. It was late afternoon and I was returning to Santa Fe for the millionth time and trying to get the volume to work in my truck radio when I received a message on my Apple Watch from one of my artist friends. I sensed it was urgent and saw that it was a picture message. The image showed Lion and what looked like a blue ribbon next to it. I calmly disregarded the image and tried to fit my truck into the parking structure next to the convention center.

I didn’t notice I was jogging towards the building like a big ostrich. I allowed that small possibility to creep into my consciousness. Did I get an award? Is my hair presentable? Surely this was a mistake. I was an okay artist, but not on the level of these masters with multiple ribbons. I power walked to the area of the ballroom where the ceramics would be. Sure enough, there was a royal blue ribbon sitting next to Lion. Still, I refused to believe it. I even stood at an oblique angle and squinted so it appeared that the ribbon was closer to this colossal pot sitting next to Lion. I met my friend there and she confirmed who that ribbon belonged to. Slowly, the realization turned to shock. I don’t know how many laps I did around the ballroom, but I probably looked like Jim Valvano running around after his NC State Wolfpack won the National Championship in Men’s Basketball in 1983. I called everyone: my wife, my kids, my mentor, my mother. My voice was so high that they didn’t recognize me. I waited, trying to mingle and look like it was all normal. Inside I felt like laughing and crying at the same time. Mom said days before that this one was special the minute she saw it. When it was time to collect Lion (and ribbon!), everything seemed to hit me at once. This was a serendipitous culmination of everything that happened to me over the summer: my retirement, my residency, and my visit to the basement on that fateful day. I feel now that I became re-acquainted with my long-passed great grandmother and aunts for a reason and I am a part of an amazing legacy. It is now my responsibility to ensure this legacy continues, flourishes and survives. Lion represents this connection, in an unlikely way. He also represents compassion, love, my grandmother’s laughter, our tears, my mother’s storytellers, and longevity. That is why he is my most personal piece.