Coy Quakenbush is a native North Carolinian artist who has been designing Native American style handcrafts, wall hangings, and wood carvings for years in his home studio. He draws inspiration from his childhood spent exploring the woods and rivers near his home, and also from the landscapes and natural phenomena he still observes outside. Quakenbush has worked in carpentry and woodworking for over 40 years, and more recently has created many pieces in Native American styles using various media like wood, beads, and leather. He began working with clay in 1996 because it connected him to his childhood and Native American heritage, and allows him to recreate designs from cultures like the Mimbres and Casa Grande through pot

1. Coy Quakenbush
Artist Statement
I am a native North Carolinian, born in 1949. I grew up and was educated in Alamance
County, N.C. Saxapahaw and the surrounding area has been my home for all of these years.
Presently, I work in my home studio.
For some years now, I have been designing Native American style handcrafts, wall
hangings, and wood carvings. I work in a number of different media. The materials I use today
to complete my pieces were first experienced as a little boy growing up in the country with
woods, river, creeks, fields, and animals. I think back and see that little boy climbing trees,
watching birds fly, finding treasures, and forever getting muddy in the river and creeks.
Mud/Clay is still my favorite medium.
I presently live on the same land where I grew up. Memories are everywhere. Many of
my ideas are developed from what I see when I walk outside. A spider web, a dead locust,
broken and split rocks, snail tracks in mud at the creek, deer tracks at the river’s edge, and even
jet plane trails across the sky are all sources of ideas for my artwork.
As far back as I can remember, I have used my hands to make things; while playing,
during work, and even relaxing. The things I have created have made my whole life more
pleasurable. With an educational background in mechanical drafting and design, I have worked
at carpentry and woodworking for over 40 years now. In recent years, I have created many
Native American style pieces. I design and handcraft each piece using a variety of media: wood,
beads, cloth, feathers, wire, and/or leather.
About 1996, I was searching for something to bring focus to my creative abilities. The
mud I used to wiggle my toes in when I was little was “the Answer.” It brought everything full
circle and into focus. I have direction. The clay ties everything together. Clay is the path from
my past to my future. My obsession with clay may stem from my Native American heritage. I
feel that my heritage is a strong influence in my creations and is entwined in my designs. Much
of my pottery inspiration is the older Mimbres, Casa Grande, and Pueblo pottery designs. My
favorite is the Mimbres geometric patterns.
Besides repeated experimentation, my knowledge has come from watching video tapes,
internet information, reading, asking questions, demonstrations given at the N.C. Pottery
Conference by Hector and Graciela Gallegos in March 2000, and a fantastic intensive 2 week
workshop in Colorado at Anderson Ranch in June of 2001. The instructors for this workshop
were Michael Wisner and, “The Master” himself, Juan Quezada. I have demonstrated my
methods for many of the local school art classes, both primary and secondary schools. I offer
classes in hand-building with clay in my home studio, where I focus on the older traditional
methods. Recently I began experimenting with two dimensional representations of the Southwest
designs I have painted on my pottery. Using the same clay slips with colorants I use with my
pottery, I have developed a watercolor technique that allows me to add a contemporary,
abstract element to my designs. My desire is to create pottery with Mimbres/Casa Grande
designs as possibly my ancestors did. I also want to teach what I have learned to others.
Creating pottery with my hands brings me peace of mind and the new pieces I am painting are
exciting as I see ideas evolve into new realities. Sharing this process with others through
teaching and exhibition keeps me connected and relevant.