Moquino, Melvin

Melvin Moquino, born in 1966, is the son of famous pottery artist Corn Moquino. Corn Moquino was of Zia/Hopi heritage and married Christine Herrera of Santa Clara Pueblo. In the Puebloan tradition, he moved to her home and there he learned to make Santa Clara pottery and decorate it using a light carving and sgraffito method. He taught his techniques and processes to Melvin, same as he taught all his other children.

Melvin specializes in black pottery decorated in the sgraffito technique, often highlighted with sienna-red areas. His designs include hummingbirds, flowers, feathers, butterflies and the avanyu (water serpent). The forms he prefers are bowls, graceful jars, and round boxes (some are lidded – a difficult task to accomplish).

After processing clay collected from areas around Santa Clara Pueblo, Melvin begins creating his pottery with the traditional method of coiling, molding the shape by hand. He sands and polishes the pieces with stones that are passed down from generation to generation. The pot is fired outside in a pit using dry manure, which when smothered with additional ashes and manure traps the carbon and infuses the black color into the pottery. After firing, the design is etched and highlights are added.

This pottery is considered rare, as only three of every five pieces actually emerge from the fire without damage, so the finished piece is revered as a gift from what pueblo potters refer to as the “Clay Mother”.

Melvin signs his work: “Melvin Moquino, Santa Clara”.