This is a large fully painted bowl by Frederica Antonio.  Her pottery is coil-built and painted with bee-weed (black) and clay slips.  She first makes horizontal lines and then vertical lines, which she fills in to create the imagery.   This bowl has a narrow base, a high shoulder, and a flat top. Frederica calls it her “mesa” rim, as it is flat like the top of a mesa.  It takes time to keep the top even and flat when it is drying.  The top section has corn and lighthing designs swirling around in black and white. The central band is painted with three different colors of clay to create an autumn leaf design.  Below is another band of black-and-white clouds and rain patterns. The base is a polychrome corn design.  Interestingly, on the sections with the colorful clay, after she fills in the color, she then has to paint over it AGAIN with the black to keep the lines on the top.  It is very time-consuming, but also visually dynamic. The base of the jar is concave, reminiscent of historic Acoma jars that were carried on the head.  This combination of thin walls, creative shapes, and tightly painted design creates a piece that is unique and quite stunning!  The jar is signed on the bottom, “F. V.  Antonio”.