Hopi Pueblo Pottery By Fawn Navasie

ca. 1940's 
Size 7" H x 9.25" D
Redware with Black Hand Painted Geometric Designs
Excellent Condition
Fawn Navasie, also known as Fawn Navasie Garcia or formerly "Little Fawn," is a celebrated contemporary Hopi Pueblo potter from the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. Born in 1959, she hails from the First Mesa area, specifically Sichomovi, and comes from a distinguished lineage of potters in the Navasie family. Her mother, Eunice "First Fawn" Navasie (1920–1992), was a pioneering Hopi potter known for her white-slipped polychrome pottery, and she taught Fawn the traditional techniques starting in her youth. Fawn is also the niece of the famous Joy "Second Frog Woman" Navasie (1919–2012), and she has sisters Dawn Navasie and Dolly Joe "White Swan" Navasie, all of whom are accomplished potters. In 1979, Fawn married James Garcia Nampeyo, a potter from the renowned Nampeyo family, which influenced her shift toward buff and yellow-slipped polychrome styles. This union connected her to one of the most influential pottery lineages in Hopi history, stemming from the legendary Nampeyo of Hano (c. 1859–1942), who revived ancient Sikyatki designs in the late 19th century.
Fawn's work embodies the Hopi tradition of hand-coiled pottery, a technique dating back over 1,500 years in the Pueblo region. She gathers local iron-rich clays from sources like Antelope Mesa, coils the vessels by hand, polishes them smooth, and paints intricate designs using natural pigments derived from plants (like beeweed for black) and minerals. Her pieces are fired outdoors in traditional open-pit fires using sheep dung, which creates the signature "blush" effect—a beautiful range of cream, buff, yellow, orange, and red tones unique to Hopi pottery. This firing method, combined with the clay's natural properties, distinguishes Hopi pottery from other Pueblo styles, such as the black-on-white of Zuni or the red wares of other regions. Early in her career (around 1979–1992), Fawn collaborated with her mother on white-slipped pottery, which is more challenging due to the precise polishing required for its glossy finish. After her mother's passing, she adopted the name "Fawn" and transitioned to buff or yellow-slipped polychrome wares, often working alongside her husband. She signs her pieces with "Fawn" and a distinctive deer hoofprint hallmark, a nod to her name's meaning.