Lela and Van Gutierrez

Santa Clara Pueblo

Lela and Van Gutierrez were a husband-and-wife traditional pottery-making team from Santa Clara Pueblo. Lela lived from 1895 to 1966 while Van lived from about 1870 to 1956.

They developed a color palette that was quite different from that associated with most Puebloan pottery. They used different earth color clays in bold, curving lines on a matte tan or beige background and developed a whole new style of Santa Clara pottery.

When Van died, Lela continued working with her son, Luther, almost up to the day she passed on. Luther then continued with his younger sister, as Margaret and Luther. Luther's son Paul married Dorothy and they worked in mostly black and red ware, as Dorothy and Paul Gutierrez.