Frederica Antonio is renowned for her intricately painted pottery. Each piece is coil built and then finely painted. Her designs are a series of fine vertical and horizontal lines that are then filled in to create larger images in the squares.  This water jar has a sloping shape which sets off the designs.  It is an amazingly intricate pattern that represents autumn leaves.  In two of the sections, the jar has a black-and-white cloud pattern.  Separating them are polychrome sections with two different colors of red clay. They are meant to represent two different types of autumn leaves changing color.  The optical illusion of the square inside squares and diamonds inside diamond shapes gives the appearance of movement.  Frederica noted that she paints the red first, then the orange color, and then had to go back over all the black lines again one more time!  The level of complexity and time involved in the painting of this piece is extraordinary!  The result, however, is stunning with a dynamic appearance and movement to the designs.  The neck of the jar has rain and cloud patterns.  The base of the jar is concave, reminiscent of historic Acoma jars that were carried on the head.  This combination of thin walls, classic shapes, and tightly painted design creates a piece that is visually stunning!  The jar is signed on the bottom.