Elston & Dena Yepa (signs E.D. Yepa)

Jemez Pueblo

Carved, etched redware seed jars, bowls, pots and vases.

Family:

Elston:  Son of Lawrence & Lupita Yepa, grandson of Martha Toya.

Dena:  Born in Santo Domingo Pueblo to the Reano family, well known
jewelry makers. Dena's great grandmother is Monica Silva Lovato from
Santa Clara and her grandmother is Clara Reano from Santa Clara/Santa
Domingo. When they married, Dena moved from Santo Domingo to Jemez.
Elston and his family taught her how to work with the clay. 

Elston started by helping his family to etch when he was in the fourth grade.  He slowly got into clay and making his own pieces...animals, turtles, and pots.  His parents, his grandma and the aunties all helped him to learn.  He used to help out when he was growing up, and then after meeting Dena, they started their own work.  They are award winning potters who showed at Indian Market, Santa Fe, 2005-2008.  They have also participated in art shows at Jemez and Santo Domingo Pueblos; Pueblo Grande in Arizona; Haskell Indian Market; and Eight Northern Pueblos Arts & Crafts Show.

Elston and Dena and their three children go out as a family to dig their clay and slips (natural earth color paint).  The kids haul the buckets.  The clay is pounded into smaller chunks, ground and sifted, then Dena mixes the clay so it can be coiled.  Both Elston and Dena make the pots.  They are carefully dried indoors, making sure that no sunlight reaches them.  Elston and Dena scrape and then fine scrape them.  Elston stone polishes the pieces and then both he and Dena design and etch them.  They are then ready to be fired outside, usually a family effort.  The pots are placed in a customized metal box which can be closed so the pieces don't turn black.  Cedar sticks are used in the firing process, with the length of time varying depending on number of pieces being fired.  After firing the pieces are left to cool down.

Browse our collection of Elston & Dena Yepa's pottery.