One of the features that distinguish traditional Pueblo pottery from other types of clay art is the absence of machinery from all parts of the creative process. The clay is gathered, processed, and finally shaped by hand. Instead of using a potter’s wheel to create vases and other round objects, the Pueblo pottery artist rolls clay into long pieces and then painstakingly coils them into layers of circles. Paints are produced from plants and minerals found near the Pueblo village and applied with a handmade brush fashioned from a yucca cactus.
This adherence to tradition is one of the things that make Pueblo pottery so attractive to the art collector. Since the Pueblo potter shuns techniques of mass production, the collector can be sure that every piece of Pueblo clay art is uniquely shaped. This quality also makes examples of Pueblo pottery.