Tse Pe

Johnny "Tse Pe" Gonzales was born into San Ildefonso Pueblo in 1940. His mother was Rose Gonzales, matriarch of a prominent San Ildefonso pottery family. He married Dora Gachupin, daughter of Candelaria Gachupin, matriarch of a prominent Zia pottery family. The marriage was unusual in that Dora moved to San Ildefonso after the wedding and in most similar situations, the husband moves to his wife's pueblo.

Anyway, Dora brought Zia pottery making methods with her, then she and Tse Pe learned San Ildefonso methods from his mother. Over the years, Dora and Tse-Pe collaborated a lot in their redware and blackware creations: both making the base pots and designing together but he was best known for adding green clay and mica slips and turquoise inlays. He and Dora often worked closely with (and were influenced by) Maria Martinez' son Popovi Da and his son, Tony Da.

Sgraffito geometric design with inlaid turquoise and coral on a red and brown jar
Red and brown jar with sgraffito geometric design and inlaid turquoise and coral
5 1/4 in H by 4 1/2 in Dia
2 inlaid stones on a red jar with a sgraffito avanyu design
Red jar decorated with a sgraffito avanyu design plus two inlaid stones
4 1/4 in H by 7 3/4 in Dia
Sgraffito avanyu design on a red seed pot
Red seed pot decorated with a sgraffito avanyu design
3 in H by 3 1/2 in Dia
Pottery photos courtesy of Andrea Fisher Fine Pottery