Description
Red clay wall art of the Lenape forest helper Mesingw on Turtle Island. Clear glaze highlights, abalone shell, horsehair drops with glass bead wraps made by the artist, and red-white heart trade beads.
Materials
Red clay, clear glaze, glass beads, horse hair, trade beads.
Dimensions
2.5" x 17" x 12"
Keith Anna
Delaware Tribe of Indians, Cherokee Nation
About the Artist
Keith is an enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma and of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. He is also of Choctaw heritage from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and is a Certified Delaware Tribal Artisan in accordance with the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990.
He started working in ceramics in 2018 in Colorado Springs at the Bemis Art School, affiliated with Colorado College and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Keith does most of his ceramics work at his residence and the Manitou Art Center in Manitou Springs, Colorado.
He makes glass beads and glass horsehair wraps using the lampwork process, incorporating them into his clay forms. He also works with textiles, using trade cloth, ribbon work, and natural materials. Keith often uses red and white clays as a base, finishing most of his ceramic pieces with the terra sigillata process to achieve natural tones, sometimes adding clear glazing for enhanced clarity. He develops the terra sigillata from recycled red clays, which is a ceramic process of making a slip from the clays to coat the clay pieces.
Beyond ceramics, Keith is also a printmaker, working with linoleum and woodblock prints using hand press or roller press methods. He enjoys the challenge of printmaking, often incorporating India ink markers or watercolors to add vibrant colors, with Native ribbon work designs serving as decorative borders. Keith is a veteran of the U.S. Navy Submarine Service.
