This is a classic early carved bowl by Harrison Begay, Jr. and his wife, Marie.  He has won numerous awards over the years for his deep-carved pottery.  This bowl has a round shape.  There are eight carved clouds in step formation around the neck of the bowl.  Each cloud is separated by an inset piece of coral or turquoise.  The remainder is highly polished and fired a glassy black.  Note as well the style of carving, which has a beveled appearance to the angle of the cuts into the clay. This is a very distinctive style of carving for his pottery.  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Harrison + Marie 1989”    It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.  

Harrison has said of his pottery:

“My favorite part of the process is just thinking about it. I sometimes dream about my pieces. I will jump up in the middle of the night and say, “This is what I want to do.  The hands are those of the Creator. I like to keep with the traditional shapes.  I really enjoy the results of polish and the matte areas contrasting against one another.”. Harrison Begay, Spoken Through Clay