Shelden Nuñez-Velarde (Jicarilla Apache) is known for his micaceous pottery. He is Ollero clan of the Jicarilla Apache and a descendant of O’Ha Montoya, a micaceous utilitarian potter of the plains and mountains surrounding Cimarron, NM, Nuñez-Velarde follows a legacy of potters. Having garnered interest in his craft at an early age, he trained under established Jicarilla Apache potters Lydia Pesata and Felipe Ortega.
As his ancestors did, Shelden gathers the clay and slip from Jicarilla clay sources, typically found at high elevations. He soaks and cleans the clay, mixes, hand coils, shapes, sands, polishes then fires the pot outdoors, using pine or cedar wood.The pottery he produces is traditional, functional, and contemporary
The mouth measures 8" on diameter. Belly of pot measures 28" in diameter. 8"tall