Margaret and Luther Gutierrez

Santa Clara Pueblo

Margaret (1936-2018) and Luther (1911-1987) Gutierrez were a brother and sister team, son and daughter of Lela and Van Gutierrez. Both learned the traditional Santa Clara ways from their parents and began producing pottery together in the 1960s. Luther had been collaborating with his mother for ten years after his father died. Then in 1966 his mother died.

Margaret and Luther's first works were mostly polychrome jars, bowls and wedding vases decorated with avanyu, rain, cloud and lightning designs. They worked almost entirely within the color palette of bright, bold earth colors on a tan or beige matte background that had been developed by their parents, Lela and Van.

In the 1970s they began producing their trademark animal and other figures, using the same earth color slips, pigments and bold lines they'd used in earlier works.

When Luther died, Margaret continued making pottery with Luther's daughter, Pauline, but Pauline died shortly thereafter. Margaret continued working with her great-niece Stephanie Naranjo, until a few years before she died in 2018.

Dorothy and Paul Gutierrez, Luther's daughter-in-law and son still make red and black animal figurines, nativities and mudheads.