It's about rocks - just not my rocks. The A:shiwi people of Northwest New Mexico, whom we know as the Zuni, have a rich artistic tradition including pottery, silversmithing and the carving of small stone animal figures called fetishes. There are many well known carvers working in both older traditional styles, modern realism style and contemporary whimsy. Ricky Laahty is one the very best active carvers whose work is instantly recognizable to collectors. His whimsical frogs are famous for their facial expressions, comical bodies and incredibly expressive eyes. About 90% of Ricky's work is frogs with the remainder being a variety of the significantly important figures of the Zuni fetish tradition - bears, eagles, turtles, mountain lions, owls, badgers, etc.
These two fetishes are part of my personal collection. The Ocean Jasper owl was carved from a rock from my holdings that was provided to Ricky for the carving. The frog is carved from dark amber. Both are just a little over an inch tall. True rock art.
Ricky is known for adding a bonus carving to the back or bottom side of many of his carvings.
This fish is the bottom of the frog...... really!
This frog carved from Borneo amber is not part of my collection, but the amber was provided to Ricky by a friend - Marks Fossils of Baltimore, MD
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