San Felipe Pueblo / Zia Pueblo

 

Ralph Aragon is a full blooded Native American Indian. He was born into the San Felipe Pueblo and married into the Zia Pueblo, where he has lived for the past twenty years. As long as he can remember, Ralph has had the desire to create his own unique style of art. With traditional upbringing instilled in Ralph, he has learned to respect the beauty of nature which is evident in his animal motifs and earth tone palettes, which are abundantly used in his art. Over the years, Ralph has experimented with his own unique style of painting. He combines contemporary painting techniques with traditional Zia pottery designs, in order to obtain the rock art images and patterns that are associated with social and spiritual themes. Ralph is a strong believer in continuing the traditional ways of his people.

Ralph studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico., In addition, his own quest for a unique way to express his creativity has led him successfully to hand paint shields, pottery, and gourds. Because of this, he has created “something different” for us to enjoy and images that “help preserve his culture and heritage”. He specializes in hand painting handmade pottery using acrylic paints. He signs his pottery as: R. Aragon, incorporated with a Kiva step style, which is a celebration of Pueblo life and the festivities of harvest time.

Ralph is related to Dora Tse’Pe.

Awards:
-Santa Fe Indian Market 1st Place
-Eighth Northern Pueblos Exhibit
-Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial
-New Mexico State Fair 1st Place

-Publications:
-Southwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni
-Southwestern Pottery 1999 Edition
-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies