ABOUT THE ARTIST:

There's a reason why that with every Native American juried/judged event that Jolene attends, she will usually win either in "Best of Show, the big Grand Prize or comes in 1st place & when you see the unique type of work she puts out, you'll understand why! She has gone on to win awards for her amazing mosaic pots/vases & I have been honored at carrying many, which have all sold out.

Incorporating what has been passed down through oral history & from generation after generation, Jolene puts her own unique twists on things & pours her heart & soul into everything she puts her hands on & the judges for these Native American events are always left in disbelief because the items she brings to the table, are something you'll never see among other Puebloan artists when it comes to the "Art of Mosaic or for "Puebloan Jewelry".

I believe with Jolene, it's not about just being another Puebloan mosaic artist, but it's the way & WHAT she decides to mosaic! She has even gone on to making a chess set, mosaic sunglasses, mosaic chairs, a mini sized mosaic inlaid Volkswagen Beetle car and even went as far as fully mosaic inlaying a Gibson guitar!! You name it, Jolene will mosaic it!

The young Jolene learned this art from her grandparents (who were also mosaic artists) but lucky for Jolene, because it was her Grandmother Anita, who told her to "seek a new direction" & that is when she went from 'traditional' & took a more "contemporary' approach by starting to design these very high end quality pieces, while gaining the respect of many Native American scholars. Moving forward, she has surpassed 100's of artists from the pueblo.

Jolene lives on the Kewa Pueblo with her immediate family, who she is now passing on everything she knows about this Ancestral Puebloan art form & works very closely with her artisan son Charles Bird, whose jewelry you can find in my listings !

Jolene's work is highly collectible & gives us a historical ancestral Puebloan past,but with a contemporary edginess !

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THE VASE:

This is another fine example of Jolene's artwork that took 8 month's to make, where Jolene started with a hollowed out cut of ASPEN wood that she then sculpted & is used as the base for the mosaic. Cutting all the cuts to then fit like a puzzle, she mosaic inlaid all the Nevada turquoise going around it, in the vases entirety. Stones & shells are sporadically place in all the right places for color & effect.

The vase alone speaks for itself, but was taken up a notch by adding the beauty of the dragonfly that sits on the top, as if it's safely guarding it! If you zoom in on photo 13 you will see where the Dragonfly has a stem on it. And then if you zoom in on photo 14 you will see the hole at the top of the vase where the stem goes into it. This dragon fly is removable, so you can easily remove it if you're putting what you want, in there. Dragonflies & Butterflies are very sacred to Native culture & they are considered lucky & some believe they are old visiting spirits.

This would be the perfect gift for any home (Housewarming?) & especially a house filled with art & or a southwestern style home!

**I posted another home decor mosaic piece, which is a Multi Colored Stone/Shell mosaic inlaid bowl/dish & instead of a Dragonfly, that one has a Butterfly (In this same category)