Rachel Aragon is one of the remaining traditionalist potters working at Acoma.  Born in 1938, she is still making pottery at over 80 years old!  Her classic olla (water jar) shapes have long been the standard for Acoma pottery, accompanied by her stunning painting. This jar is from the 1980s.  It is coil-built and painted with bee-weed (black). The jar is very intricately painted. There are three large medallions, each with three tightly painted birds.  Above and below the birds are rain designs.  Separating the medallions are rain and cloud designs. The amount of fine-line work on this jar is unusual and very visually striking. The traditional black-and-white imagery energizes this elegant jar.  It has the traditional concave base, which, historically, was made to make the jar wearable on the head.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Rachel Aragon”.  The jar is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.