Randall Chitto

Randall Chitto came to New Mexico to study at the Institute of American Indian Art under the sponsorship of his tribe, the Choctaw from Mississippi where he was born. It was here that he first experimented with clay. Under the direction of Otellie Loloma and Ralph Pardington he developed his own style. He read everything he could about contemporary and traditional pottery techniques, learned about firing clay and in the end produced a carbonizing "reduction Raiku" effect he uses today.

In the Choctaw tribe, the turtle is the keeper of stories and history. "The turtle tells us what we need to know. Their hard shells protect them from evil influences. Nothing can take away their stories." A sense of fun is apparent in all of Randall's work. They are adorned with necklaces, carry small medicine bags or wear bracelets. The elements draw on many Native American cultures - from Mississippi, the Plains Indians and Pueblo cultures of the southwest. Themes of storytellers, koshari clowns from the pueblos, and hunters and dancers of the Plains tribes abound.

Early in his career, Randall broke a turtle and his mother suggested he keep the pieces and use one in every new piece he made. That way they would all be connected. Modeled, coiled and fired individually by hand, the clay sculptures are then adorned. "Each has it's own personality", he says. Randall will smile, the same whimsical smile which adorns all of his sculptures, and tell you a few things.