Michelle Paisano
Pueblo Nativity Scene
TRIBAL AFFILIATION:
Pueblo of Laguna
CLASSIFICATION:
Pottery
BOOTH NUMBER:
LIN W 715
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE:
American Indian artist Michelle Paisano has been working as a clay sculptor since 1984. She received her MA in Art Education w/ Teaching Licensure and BFA from the University of New Mexico while specializing in fine American Indian art. Her clay sculptures, pottery, and clay vessels reflect Pueblo Indian tradition and culture. Michelle sculpts Pueblo Koshares and Mudhead Kachinas that are creatively molded into expressive movements of sculptural design. Her contemporary sculptures are designed to show the many social roles they engage in, explicitly in a whimsical manner. Contemporary Lizard Pottery are designed to represent the Lizard clan from Laguna Pueblo. The three-dimensional design shows the heads of the lizards in relief with the body molded into the pottery. The combination of traditional/non-traditional clays, slips, and pigments create an exceptional finish that is uniquely an original M. Paisano design.