Alice Cling (Navajo): A Pot that Perfects a Tradition

The pottery of Alice Cling transforms the traditional simplicity of Navajo pottery into supreme elegance of form. Although Navajo pottery often takes a back seat to Navajo rugs in the public imagination, this is not the case in the work of Alice Cling. While traditional Navajo pots often are rough brown vessels sealed with a water-proof overlay of pine pitch, Alice has gone farther than any other potter in building upon this basic vernacular to produce powerful new expressions in clay.

Born in 1946 to potter Rose Williams, one of the matriarchs of Cow Springs in the Tonalea area of the Diné Reservation, Alice has become one of the premier potters of the Southwest. It doesn’t take a person with an art degree to respond to Alice’s genius: her burnished, non-decorated pots are unique in combining simple essence of form with extraordinary colors. Alice coaxes her singular coloration from an alchemy of earth (often clay gathered from the Black Mesa area) and fire. During outdoor firing, each pot blushes differently in colors that range from caramel browns to warm coppers to deep redwood hues. After firing, Alice applies a light coat of pine pitch to each pot: the shiny quality of the piñon sap worked into the fired surface creates a soft, flawless sheen. Both earthy and modern in appearance, this small, high-shouldered jar is a good example of Alice’s quiet craftsmanship and her almost Zen-like ability to capture the essence of the clay in a way that speaks to the human spirit. (JH, DH)