Known mainly for his traditional Santa Clara Pueblo etched pottery, a tradition passed down in his family, Paul Joseph Speckled Rock Tafoya (tribal affiliation: Santa Clara Pueblo) was also one heck of a good sculptor. I've only been able to find information on a handful of pieces that he cast into bronze. I'm very lucky to be the owner of two of them, and in my humble opinion, they're two of his best. I don't have a link for him - in all honesty, I've never seen that he had much of an online presence at all. He ran a pottery studio and gallery on the Santa Clara Pueblo called Merrock Galleria, but by the time of his passing in 2017 it had been closed for several years.
I won the first bronze (I found out later it is titled "Little Deer") in an online auction, then negotiated a good price for the second, from the same seller. Each piece is highly detailed and quite stunning. Taken together, they have great impact and presence. They sure make a statement on my mantle!
I do not know the title of the second piece, so I called it "Crouching Warrior." Clever, I know. My "Little Deer" (the standing one) is the Artist's Proof of 15 (likely 16 including this A/P). "Crouching Warrior" is numbered 12/30. I don't know how many were actually made however. If anyone knows the actual titles of these pieces, please let me know!!!
Edit: I have discovered that the title of the "Standing Warrior" is actually "Little Deer," and I've seen another come up for sale which also indicated the edition size. I've edited this post and changed the image descriptions accordingly.
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| "Little Deer" by Paul Joseph Speckled Rock, bronze, A/P/15 (or 16), front |
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| "Little Deer" by Paul Joseph Speckled Rock, bronze, A/P/15 (or 16), left |
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| "Little Deer" by Paul Joseph Speckled Rock, bronze, A/P/15 (or 16), back |
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| "Little Deer" by Paul Joseph Speckled Rock, bronze, A/P/15 (or 16), right |
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| "Little Deer" by Paul Joseph Speckled Rock, bronze, A/P/15 (or 16), close up |
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| "Little Deer" by Paul Joseph Speckled Rock, bronze, A/P/15 (or 16), signature |
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| (Unknown title) by Paul Joseph Speckled Rock, bronze, 12/30, front |
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| (Unknown title) by Paul Joseph Speckled Rock, bronze, 12/30, right |
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| (Unknown title) by Paul Joseph Speckled Rock, bronze, 12/30, back |
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| (Unknown title) by Paul Joseph Speckled Rock, bronze, 12/30, left |
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| (Unknown title) by Paul Joseph Speckled Rock, bronze, 12/30, close up |
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| (Unknown title) by Paul Joseph Speckled Rock, bronze, 12/30, signature |
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