Description
Roderick Tenorio (1955-2013), Santo Domingo Pueblo, Sterling silver Bracelet in the overlay style Fits up to a 7" wrist, this is the real deal, made by Roderick
by hand....not the mass produced stuff he designed for others later. You really
don't find the pieces like this that he made himself on the open market very
often.
Roderick Tenorio, Santo Domingo Pueblo, 1955-2013
Roderick Tenorio expressed his appreciation for the fruitfulness of the earth in
his “Gentle Rain” jewelry collection. Roderick’s trademark symbols, comprised of
14 karat gold and etched sterling silver represent the rain katcina, the sun,
moon, and sacred corn. Roderick took home the Best of show award at the 2001
Eight Northern Indian Pueblo Arts and Crafts Fair for an outstanding gold concho
belt, which won major awards at other shows throughout the southwest over the
same year.
Roderick Tenorio was an award winning Santo Domingo artist. A 1981 graduate of
the Institute of American Indian Arts, Roderick was accomplished in sculpture,
painting and music. Roderick’s unique symbolic interpretation and high degree of
detail earned him jewelry awards at Santa Fe Indian Market, Eight Northern
Indian Pueblos Show, the New Mexico State Fair, and the Gallup Inter-Tribal
Ceremonials, including the prestigious “Best of Show”.
Roderick loved creating jewelry. “I’m a very lucky man,” he had said quietly. “I
was born with a certain amount of talent in art, and I had family, friends and
teachers who encouraged me to develop my abilities. Today, I have the advantage
of incorporating many centuries of tribal history, , myths and characters into
my designs. I’m far less interested in defining my jewelry as traditional or
contemporary than I am in striving for beauty…and I’m willing to let my work
follow any direction needed to realize that end.”
Roderick was born at home between April 28th and May 1st, 1955. The actual date
is unwritten and may have been concealed by his parents to avoid having to “feed
the people” of the village had he been born on May 1st the day when the pueblo
celebrates San Felipe, it’s Patron Saint. He was raised by his Grandparents near
the plaza in Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico.
Roderick did not finish Bernalillo High but went instead to Albuquerque Indian
School. He remembered writing three poems for the AIS yearbook and having one of
them published. A teacher in the Band Room asked him what he wanted to play and
he was given a clarinet. After a year of clarinet Roderick started singing. He
even performed with a traveling ensemble as a singer.
Enlisting in the Army after high school, Roderick was stationed in Lewitsburg,
Germany for 2 1/2 years working Field communications. Friends wanted Roderick to
leave the service and stay in Germany as a singer in their band. Roderick chose
to return to Santo Domingo.
For Roderick, Santo Domingo was not the same. He had grown 12 inches while in
the service and became a threat on his return. He felt alienated and that he no
longer fit. He began drinking and wound up staring at a sculpture in Santa Fe. A
security officer from the Institute of American Indian Art (IAIA) asked him if
he was looking for the registrar. The guard escorted him to the office of the
school where he found his aunt working. She helped him complete the paperwork to
become a student using his G. I. Bill. Roderick was one of the older students.
He bought alcohol for the others students and “everybody loved him.”
Roderick’s two years of study at IAIA were a turning point in his life. He began
to really focus on his art work. He graduated with a degree in three Dimensional
art. He liked sculpting stone or wood and sold his sculpture at the Museum shop.
Roderick started making jewelry when he was very young and by the age of 13 he
was making “superfine” heishi of turtle shell, turquoise, and pin shell. His
grandmother had a grinder and polisher that ran from the slow steady power of an
old refrigerator motor. Roderick sold his heishi to nearby gallery owners in
Santa Fe. He recalled doing very well in Gallup with heishi made with
distinctive stone combinations. He sold everything and came home with $1,500. In
High School Roderick drove a new pick up truck supported by his heishi sales.
With awards he won in competition, Roderick purchased a prefabricated steel
trailer, and moved his bench into a 10 x 10 studio.
Reticulation describes a sequential process of heating silver to a dark, dull
red color with a torch sufficient to cause oxidation of the copper on the
surface. The silver is then quenched in a hot pickle solution, soaked to remove
the oxidation, and rinsed with water. The procedure is repeated three to five
times diminishing in effectiveness yet increasing the depth of the fine silver
surface. The deeper the pure silver, the more pronounced the effect. The surface
layer, crinkles as it cools and at a different rate than the layer beneath, the
process creates texture that catches your eye and makes you want to reach out
and touch the surface. Silver reticulation ads contrast, texture, and depth. It
produces a beautifully patterned surface, ideal for a wide range of jewelry
designs.
Roderick combined noble metals, semiprecious gemstones in a fashion and style
all his own. Tribal Expressions proudly boasts of being one of the few to
represent the sublime and the substantial creations of Roderick Tenorio, from
Santo Domingo Pueblo.
Roderick passed away in 2013, we miss his soft spoken voice and the way he
explained the inspirations behind his beautiful, cool jewelry.
All precious metals are tested and guaranteed, any Native American jewelry
referred to as Silver or Sterling is guaranteed to be a minimum of 90% (coin)
silver and possibly higher content. Anything marked is guaranteed to be what
it's marked, most bracelets are photographed on a 6" wrist (non hairy), rings
photographed on the appropriate sized finger when possible. With bracelets if
the measurement is not given in the description then inside circumference is
shown where the metal meets the number on the the cloth tape measure.
