(1962-2011)
Pueblo: Acoma Pueblo
Tony Garcia was born on February 2, 1962 and passed away on Friday, June 10, 2011. He was a resident of Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico. Garcia specialized in Bear Claw design hand carved contemporary pottery.
“The four claws represent the four sacred directions. Reversed the claws also represent feathers. In the carving, you see three steps representing the three levels of buildings at Acoma Pueblo. Upside down, the bear paw becomes the head of an eagle. The right hand bear claw keeps the family close together and makes them strong. The fetish bear brings good luck to the household. The three colors also have meaning. The blue represents the sky; the black represents dark rain clouds; and the orange represents the Sun and Mother Earth.” —Tony Garcia, Jr., Acoma Pueblo 2002