This is a striking wedding vase by Susie Crank.  She is a daughter of Rose Williams and a sister of Alice Cling.  Each piece is coil built, stone polished and amazingly, she says he may burnish a piece over and over as many as 15 times to get a high shine!  This is one of the first wedding vases we have had by Susie. The jar is a strong shape with a sharp shoulder and symmetry to the spouts.  The handle is twisted or braided.  The “striking” part is the balance of the form and the highly polished surface.  Add to that the traditional firing and the flow of the fire clouds on the surface.  The colorations on this piece range from black to a deep red.  It was covered in pine-pitch after the firing, a continuation of the traditional Navajo pottery when the pitch was used to make the pottery waterproof.  Today, the pine pitch seals the vessel and gives it shine.  This jar has a stunning shine and a great feel to the surface!  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Susie Crank”.  Simply stunning.