Nativo Dance

Nativo Dance is a three pound clay sculpture. It is a supremely etched clay vessel through the black mineral clay pigment — an exciting native dance design with feathered headdress and all of the native design outfits and adornments.

It is done in a light pink hue through the background sgraffito texture, and then the metallic color coordinated design through the rest of the design work, front and back, with the two principal designs. There is a geometric textured floor on the bottom of the vessel and a dramatic geometric beltline at the top.

Kick-wheel thrown, burnished, and sgraffito-carved in my San Juan de Oriente studio.

My Process

Every Atlantis sculpture begins with the same Gran Nicoya materials that have been worked in San Juan de Oriente for more than a thousand years: local dug clay, sourced slip clay, burnished slip color, and etching and carving back down through those layers to the clay beneath.

Enhanced slip colors and my own application techniques bring innovation to that palette while the traditional methods stay exactly as they were.

And here is the irony: it is the native no-glaze method that opens the door to the contemporary layer. Because nothing seals the surface, I can come back after the firing and hand-paint modern color directly into the exposed clay.

Specifications

• Made by Paul Devoti and the Atlantis Studio team
• Origin: Atlantis Studio, San Juan de Oriente, Nicaragua
• Tradition: Gran Nicoya clay technique
• Glaze: none — all fired color is clay slip
• Edition: unique, one of one
• Signed: Atlantis — PHD
• Height: 10 in
• Width: 7 in
• Depth: 7 in
• Weight: 3 lb

Frequently Asked:

Are designs repeated? Every sculpture is a one-of-a-kind expression within a design collection. Nothing is cast, duplicated or reproduced — each one meticulously handcrafted.

How is it packed and shipped? Made in Nicaragua, ships from North Carolina — no international transit, no customs, no duty for US buyers. Boxed by hand, fully insured. Typically delivered within 5 business days.

Can I return a piece? Fourteen days from delivery, in original packaging and original condition.

How do I care for it? Dust with a dry soft cloth. No water, no oils, no polish. Not for outdoor use.