This is an unusual jar by Les Namingha.  It is large pieces like this jar that allow him a lot of design space to create quite exceptional pieces.  The jar has flat sides and it is fully painted.  On the sides are large, multi-color eagle tails.  This is a classic design often seen on Hopi-Tewa pottery.  Around the top of the pieces are Hopi birds flying in the sky.  The lines represent the path or migration of the birds.  The base of the jar is equally dramatic with a large flower design.  The shape works perfectly on this piece as the complexity of the design flows from panel to panel.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Les Namingha  2020”.  Les says of his pieces which have layering:

“The concept of layering is inherent in our mortal journey. As time moves forward, our memories become layered. Some memories remain vibrant, others faint or hazy. Yet others, obscure or even hidden. Likewise, our experiences, words, works, emotions, prayers, and songs build up in layers creating our existence. In turn, our social interactions become exercises in layering. We see this in evidence with street art or graffiti writing where layers of thought and a desire to express a “proof of existence” create tapestries of color and marks. Blending, covering, harmonizing, dissonance, disappearing. This concept of layering is the idea behind Urban Polychrome and other works in the Urban Series.”  Les Namingha