Acoma Pueblo Storyteller Pottery Doll By Judy Lewis

Late 20th Century

Size

Hand Built from Clay of a Sitting Female Adult with Three Children, a Bird, Cat, Butterfly and Two Lady Bugs

In Very Good Condition

Judy Lewis is a respected Acoma Pueblo potter (born 1966) known for her hand-coiled polychrome storyteller figurines (often called "storyteller dolls"), along with corn maidens, seed pots, jars, bowls, wedding vases, and other forms. She belongs to a family of potters from Acoma Pueblo (Sky City), New Mexico. She is the daughter of Katherine Lewis and sister to artists like Marilyn Henderson Ray, Rebecca Lucario, Carolyn Concho, Diane Lewis, and Bernard Lewis.

She began making pottery around 1986, mentored primarily by her sister Marilyn. Her family (descendants of Katherine Lewis) is distinct from the more famous Lucy Lewis lineage but is noted for innovative work at Acoma.  She uses traditional hand-coiling and pinching techniques with natural clays and pigments, often featuring crisp pastel colors and traditional Acoma designs. Her figures are praised for expressive, detailed facial features and joyful accents like appliqué butterflies, cats, dogs, lizards, ladybugs, and birds.