Video (3min 44sec): Les Namingha In The Studio. Les Namingha credits his aunt, renowned Hopi potter Dextra Quotskuyva, for guiding him through the process of pottery making, which served as his artistic foundation.
As a prolific contemporary artist, Namingha thrives on traditional motifs with modernist influences. Constantly manipulating form and design, every Namingha piece takes cultural symbols and brings them adeptly into present day, making the artist a true innovator bound only by his imagination. The painting on his pottery is unique in its small size and tight detail, the extent of which is rarely seen in the medium. Owning one of Namingha’s works offers Native-inspired significance to any collection.
Les Namingha is one of the most prolific Hopi abstract artists of today. Since his youth, Les has received valuable instruction at the hand of this grandmother Rachel Namingha Nampeyo and his aunt Dextra Quotskuyva Nampeyo. He is the son of Emerson Namingha and a Zuni mother. His cousins are Dan Namingha and Hisi Nampeyo. As you can see, his family tree reads like a "who's who" in Hopi fine arts. Having received a degree in design at Brigham Young University, Les took his contemporary training back to his traditional roots and gave life to a style of indigenous pottery all his own. Of course his designs are influenced by both his Hopi and Zuni background - which is probably why his pieces are so unique.
