◄ Overview
Walter Howato
Hopi Hemis Mana Kachina
In the 1960’s, as many Hopi carvers were moving towards realism, Walter Howato went the other direction, reviving interest in “Old Style” katsina (or kachina) dolls. He used a local white clay called tumma as the base medium for his paints, which imparted an antique aura to his work: “I close my eyes and think of how the dolls used to look when I was a child.” Intriguingly, in earlier years, Howato had spent time working for the Walt Disney Corporation as a painter and interior decorator.
Tearsheet
Artist
Walter Howato
Material
Wood, mineral pigments
Contributing Gallery
Shiprock Santa Fe
Date
c. 1980
Dimensions
13.5 in × 4.25 in × 3.75 in
34.29 cm × 10.795 cm × 9.525 cm
ID
Image credit: Courtesy of Shiprock Santa Fe
Hopi Hemis Mana Kachina, c. 1980
13.5 in × 4.25 in × 3.75 in
Wood, mineral pigments
Shiprock Santa Fe
$0
In the 1960’s, as many Hopi carvers were moving towards realism, Walter Howato went the other direction, reviving interest in “Old Style” katsina (or kachina) dolls. He used a local white clay called tumma as the base medium for his paints, which imparted an antique aura to his work: “I close my eyes and think of how the dolls used to look when I was a child.” Intriguingly, in earlier years, Howato had spent time working for the Walt Disney Corporation as a painter and interior decorator.