About the Artist

Cherokee clay artist David Pruitt creates art incorporating ancient traditions and contemporary visions. His art gives us a unique way to look at the ancient and the new combined. David grew up in Adair County in Oklahoma, the heart of the Cherokee Nation, with a family steeped in tradition and educated in a very contemporary world. He has successfully transferred many aspects of this experience and knowledge to the medium of clay. David has attended Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, Oklahoma; East Central University, Ada, Oklahoma; and Stilwell Vocational School, Stilwell, Oklahoma. He had basic art courses in drawing and painting. His education in clay has been a few private and group pottery classes. With very limited instruction he has produced an impressive body of work.

His love of clay and his innate artistic talent is at work in all the pieces he creates. Cherokee National Treasures and master potters have inspired David. His ancestral connection to Southeastern Woodland designs is evident in all his work. His innovative approach to incorporating them into his work is clearly his own artistic expression. Commitment to excellence and his passion for clay art, has earned David recognition and awards for his efforts. His work has been purchased by corporate and private collectors. He has exhibited his art in museum shows, art markets and galleries. His work is on exhibit and for sale at his Cherokee Pottery Studio and Gallery, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

David’s art is inspired by his heritage and is realized through his effort and hard work. As a youth, David was taught traditional Cherokee ways. Some of his memories include learning to identify the healing plants with his Grandmother and playing stickball at the ceremonial Stomp Grounds. This combination of traditional knowledge and artistic talent honors his Cherokee heritage and breaks new ground in the world of contemporary art.