Qoyawayma, Al – Polychrome Serenity Jar with Figure, Rainbow, and Cliff Dwelling

3.75"w x 7"h

$ 5,600.00

Al Qoyawayma calls the shape of this jar his “Serenity vase”.  It is a distinctive form with two overlapping spouts. One spout is polished and the other is matte.  This jar is carved on one side with a petroglyph style-figure and a rainbow.  Each section of the swirling rainbow is carved into the clay and polished with various clay slips.  There are six different colors used on this jar!  The opposite side has a pueblo cliff dwelling that has recessed areas, and the entire surface is fully carved!  Note the various shapes of the doors with the keyhole, squares, and even the ones with the fallen beams!  It is a classic piece with a striking balance of designs and form. The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Al Qoyawayma”.  It is a new piece from 2023. 

Al wrote of this piece:

This jar or small vase has gained the name “Serenity” for two reasons. This elegant flowing form was originally created on the banks of the Merced River in Yosemite Valley in a serene period of time. The uniqueness is embodied in the two different-sized outward curving lips forming the rim, say like the petals of a flower. The second reason for the name is to honor my late wife Leslie. We might even call this an “honoring pot”.  The jar is formed from Hopi coiled clay and adding the incised architectural or “cliff dwelling” feature and a carved stylized figure. The piece is also termed “polychrome” because of the use of multi-color stone polished slips used in both figures and six layers of colored slips used on the stonework.