This is a spectacular large jar by Dolores Curran.  She continues to create intricately incised and painted pottery.  She was inspired to create these red polychrome incised and painted by her husband, Alvin Curran.  He was known for his incised San Juan-style pottery in the late 1990s.  This piece has a wide shoulder, a short neck and a creative lid. The body of the jar has dragonflies, clouds, and prayer feathers as part of the design.  All three are classic “prayer messengers” designs.  Separating them are a series of diamond shapes with clouds.  Dolores said these were inspired by the embroidery designs on Pueblo mantas.  The jar has a large lid that is carved with a flower on the bottom.  The top has a polished edge with a painted avanyu.  The flat top area is carved and painted and the year has a heartline and polished back. The designs are incised into the clay and then highlighted with clay slips, and note how even in the incised areas she has added red clay!  To create a piece with so much design and so much coloration and yet have them draw the eye from one “scene” to the next, is remarkable.  To see that on a larger piece has given Dolores an additional “canvas” in terms of size to accentuate her imagery and various techniques.  All the colorations are from natural clay slips.  It is an extraordinary amount of time to create pieces intricate both in design and to use the various clay additions.   The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Dolores Curran”.  The last photo is one of Dolores with the two pieces, and I like how she looks so contemplative of two of her major works sitting together.