This is a deeply carved wide shoulder by Christopher Youngblood.  He is creating carved vessels that reflect a strong balance of matte and polished surfaces with tightly carved designs.  This jar is coil-built, carved, and stone polished.  The jar has eight spiraling cloud designs.  Each cloud is carved in a circular medallion form.  The spirals are difficult to polish and keep the round shape and precision of the carving.  The remainder is matte.  What you can’t tell is that it feels like suede it is so perfectly sanded.  The piece has an amazing feel when you hold it!   The inside of the jar is slipped with mica.  The background area surrounding the polished sections is matte and smooth.  The matte is always difficult to keep smooth so that any imperfection doesn’t cast a shadow!  The jar was traditionally fired red, which is always more difficult than creating the black pieces.  The red on this piece is a deep, rich coloration.  Chris says that he focuses on each piece, taking the time to work on the shape and stone polish the surface to a high shine, often polishing a piece several times to get it right. He has won numerous awards for his pottery, including the 2104 “Best of Pottery” at Santa Fe Indian Market and “Best of Pottery” at Gallup Ceremonials in 2021.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Chris Youngblood”.

Chris has said of his pottery:

“I’ve had generations of people before me who have had to learn the hard way. I’ve had that information given to me without having to go through all the struggles. But, I would say on the flip side, having someone so technically advanced as your teacher (Nancy Youngblood), let alone your mother, it’s hard. The expectations are a lot higher.  I’ve learned that now, I never think it’s done. I keep going until I cannot find anything I can refine or add to the piece. To achieve an ever-higher level of precision takes a lifetime. ’s not something you learn, it’s something you live.”  Christopher Youngblood, Spoken Through Clay