The Dr. Samuel R. Poliakoff Collection of Western Art

Lewis began making pottery in 1952 alongside her pottery matriarch mother Lucy Lewis. The designs she uses are revivals of ancient Pueblo pottery designs. Her designs radiate off the surface of the pot against the beautiful, stark white slip, a difficult pure color to achieve because of the inherent difficulties of making Pueblo pottery and firing in an open-fire kiln. The fine line painting is sometimes said to represent rain. The three triangular forms represent a bird’s wing.