Hubert Candelario

San Felipe Pueblo

Hubert Candelario

Hubert Candelario (Butterfly), was born in San Felipe Pueblo in November, 1965, and has been actively potting since he turned 22. Historically, San Felipe was not active as a pottery center because San Felipe residents obtained their pottery in trade from neighbors, most often from Zia pueblo.

Hubert holds an associate's degree in architectural design and drafting and that has fostered an appreciation in him for structure and pure architectural form. He says Maria Martinez was a major influence in his pottery career. Santa Clara potter Nancy Youngblood had a direct impact on his work, too, with her spiral carved melon jars.

Traditionally made, his early works were like the polished redware Jemez is most known for. He is now famous for his precisely cut puzzle pots, spiral pots and works with circular and hexagonal perforations. The structure of his pottery is formed with local red clay and he completes the concept of each with layers of orange micaceous slip, burnished after each layer, to help create the fabulous color and texture. (He prefers the micaceous clay found at Nambé and Picuris.) He fires his pottery in a kiln to achieve an even color, free of fire clouds. He signs his work: "Hubert Candelario, San Felipe Pueblo", followed by the date the piece was made.

Hubert has also earned numerous awards in juried competitions, including at least one First Place ribbon at the Santa Fe Indian Market and at least one First Place ribbon at the Heard Museum Guild Indian Arts Fair & Market in Phoenix.

There is an interview with Hubert where he demonstrates how he makes his pottery and what it means to him to make pottery, to be a potter in a pueblo where the tradition died out. The video was live-streamed in August, 2020.

Where Hubert's Work is Shown

• Hubert's work was included in the 2002 exhibit and catalog Changing Hands: Art without Reservation at the American Craft Museum in New York City
• A large swirl melon jar of his has been selected for the permanent collection at the Denver Art Museum
• A "Holey jar" of Hubert's made its way into the Smithsonian in 2020.