Talking with the Clay
The Art of Pueblo Pottery in the 21st Century
2008 New Mexico Book Award, Best Arts Book
1987 Benjamin Franklin Book Award for excellence in independent publishing (original edition)
"Trimble’s quotes give the reader the feeling that he sat atop Mt. Taylor or Tsikumu, sacred lofty Pueblo peaks, and by sleight of hand snatched passing ideas, phrases, images, potters emotions and molded and shaped them into sentences which began to tell how it is that Pueblo potters think, feel, and create." —Tessie Naranjo and Tito Naranjo (Santa Clara Pueblo), American Indian Culture and Research Journal
"Shifting back and forth from respect for tradition to the joy of innovation, the tale is held together by the common love of clay." —The New York Times
"This extraordinary piece of work by Stephen Trimble should be required reading for any collector. With well-told stories, rich detail and a lifetime spent researching, Trimble sheds light on the people—both legendary and contemporary—and the places behind this remarkable art form. The prose sings and the photos shine. A magnificent book indeed!" —Carter Walker, Western Art & Architecture
"Talking With the Clay is the best survey of Pueblo pottery made during the past fifty years and...clearly one of the finest studies of any contemporary Southwest Indian craft tradition." —Masterkey
When you hold a Pueblo pot in your hands, you feel a tactile connection through the clay to the potter and to centuries of tradition. You will find no better guide to this feeling than Talking with the Clay. Stephen Trimble’s photographs capture the spirit of Pueblo pottery in its stunning variety, from the glittering micaceous jars of Taos Pueblo to the famous black ware of San Ildefonso Pueblo, from the bold black-on-white designs of Acoma Pueblo to the rich red-and-gold polychromes of the Hopi villages. His portraits of potters communicate the elegance and warmth of these artists, for this is the potters’ book.
Through dozens of conversations, Trimble records stories and dreams that span seven generations and more than a century, revealing how potterymaking helps to bridge the gap between worlds, between humans and clay, springing from old ways but embracing change. In this newly revised, expanded, and redesigned 2007 edition, Trimble brings his classic into the 21st Century with interviews and photographs from a new generation of potters working to preserve the miraculous balance between tradition and innovation.
Trimble's book remains the book that Indian art gallery owners recommend when they send a new enthusiast home with a piece of Pueblo pottery.
(SAR Press, 20th anniversary expanded and revised edition, 2007)
Excerpt: The People (at SAR Press)
Excerpt: One With the Clay (at SAR Press)
