WOW! This is a striking large water jar by Federica Antonio. The jar has a high, round shoulder and sloping neck.  The neck is painted with her swirling, interlocking “autumn leaves” design.  The painting process on this piece is one that she rarely likes to do as it is so time-consuming. Each square on the neck of the jar is outlined with bee-weed, then filled in with a clay slip and THEN it is painted over again so that the lines are differentiated between each color.  It is much more time-consuming but it is also much more visually dynamic.  Note how the leaves swirl down from the neck around the jar.  The eye moves at an angle, then vertically, then horizontally, to capture all the movement.  The body of the jar has her classic checkerboard pattern made by painting horizontal and then vertical lines. The design is a new one for her using a variety of three different clay colors. The colors create an interlocking design of “desert sands”.  Once again, there is almost a sense of movement and flow across the surface of the piece.  The base of the jar is concave, reminiscent of historic Acoma jars which were carried on the head.  This combination of thin walls, classic shape, and tightly painted design creates a piece that is visually stunning!  The jar is signed on the bottom, “F. V.  Antonio”.