CHARLES LOLOMA

"WHAT YOU SEE NERE IS A LOT OF Soul"

Compiled from interviews with the artist on the Hopi Reservation for Arizona Highways by Wesley Holden There is a quality about the jewelry of Charles Loloma that transcends the present, which we may call contemporary, and reaches into both the past and the future. With a rich heritage in Hopi traditions, a deep understanding of himself and a determination to stay with his path, the sculptured art beauty of Charles Loloma will last through the ages.

To visit his shop near the village of Hotevilla, which is situated on a mesa edge in the high desert country of the Colorado plateau, approximately seventy-five miles north of Winslow, is a memorable experience in itself. Wind sculptured rocks set against a turquoise sky, the tawny wood of short gnarled trees sending their roots ever deeper into the multicolored sands of mother earth in search of water, and the Hopi Indians themselves... a peaceful people whose industry and will to endure are matched only by their understanding of and respect for nature.

It takes a philosopher to find so much beauty in a land where most would find only hardship. And the philosophy of Charles Loloma has considerable merit: "You must know the entire depth of ground... however it is... the deepest you can get. The deeper you are the better you can interpret. Just like the ground that is wet to a certain depth, that is where the amount of roots you can have. You can't bring out anything more than the roots till they are further down in."

Loloma clientele include some of the world's most notable personalties. For example, President Johnson gave one of his gold and turquoise necklaces to the Queen of Denmark, and on another occasion, a pair of Loloma earrings to the wife of the President of the Philippines. Loloma has graduated from the local Tribal and State Fair Arts and Crafts exhibits. Today his wide exposure takes him to the art centers of the world where his genius has brought him international recognition. He has had successful shows from Phoenix to New York to Paris, and this fall will journey to Japan where the PBS movie CHARLES LOLOMA, televised nationally in the United States, will be viewed for the first time.

The work of Charles Loloma is instantly recognizable. Not because he has a formula, or a pattern, or each piece is a look-a-like, but because to see it is to want to touch it, and to touch it is to want it to become a part of you and you a part of it. "I am relating or interpreting the depth of myself... what I know is beautiful within our (Hopi) past meaning a deep kiva situation. The ceremonies... the altar that we know... what the discussion is... because you actually sense beauty."

To sense beauty is one thing, but the ability to interpret and convey it in such a manner that individuals of a different culture can begin to feel its depth is another. And in this area too, Charles Loloma is a Master Craftsman. To be sure, he uses traditional materials in his jewelry such as gold, silver and precious stones. But why not Mastodon ivory, common stones and Ironwood from the Arizona desert? " what is wood? What is malachite? Lapis lazuli can be accepted? Egyptians and other people in different periods used things, but wood you know?. no! My thought is that you make the wood that important and design just the right amount of it into the jewelry, combine it with gold, Mastodon ivory, turquoise and lapis to make it so important that it becomes a jewel by itself. But if you use it wrong you can miss so far! Then you can never make it work out."

Charles' work invites, asks, and then demands that one take a closer look. The colors, textures, use of materials, each piece beautiful by itself, yet blending in perfect harmony with the whole. "Lots of times you can create something that you already have conceived of a long time ago. Some of these (picking up various pieces of stone, wood and abalone shell) take as much as ten years before you feel right to do a 'right thing' in a particular way. Other times you look at the stone and right away you know what you should do. So every piece is considered in this way, because I feel very... well I don't know, I would say 'you have to feel beautiful to create something that is that fine.' "

An interesting feature often incorporated into Loloma jewelry is the use of inlays on the inside of a pendant as well as the front. To the owner of such a piece the comment "Why is all that beautiful work in the inside where you can't see it?" is quite common. But the basis for working in this manner is fundamental to human nature. People, like the work of Charles Loloma, have hidden beauty which is known and appreciated only by a few close friends or relatives. "This is why I'm doing things like putting the insides in, because I feel like... none of these (his jewelry) are decorated just for surface material. There is a total depth of meaning within each piece that is done. Especially when you look inside of it. You know you can wear it on the outside and it's still great, but when you show it to people... what is inside of it... then it's even more! It's just not on the surface. This is not a simplified thing there's a lot of thought into it. There's music, there's great dance form that is taking place. These are the things you realize and then the music becomes the jewelry."

So indeed there are innumerable things one might sense in the work of Charles Loloma music, dance, poetry, and romance. Or perhaps it's a feeling that this jewelry, along with the best of the past, such as pre-Columbian, Egyptian, or earlier, will prevail long into the future. But the reason you'll want to own something by Charles Loloma " is not because it's in gold just the way that it is done is what makes it special. What you see here is a lot of soul. But that's what I blame... you know... where the direction came from.

The Ketohs (bow guards) are made of silver, leather, wood, turquoise and other materials.

The massive gold ring, insert, has a large block of solid mastodon ivory with a diamond buried in the center. The viewing part is lined with turquoise.

A variety of materials adorns the front of the figure pendant while the reverse side is sculptured in gold.

CHARLES LOLOMA — a man of many talents... painter, potter and sculptor. He has designed fashions from earrings to footwear and everything in between, including the fabric. His international fame comes from his jewelry, each piece individually conceived, bold as the artist himself.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JERRY D. JACKA

Except where indicated 11-23 This collection of Loloma bracelets beautifully portrays the variety of materials, as well as the unique forms they take, in becoming a masterpiece in gold and silver.