Juan de la Cruz creates complex painted polychrome pottery.  He is a son of noted potter Lois Gutierrez.  Lois made the jar and Juan, who is noted for his illustrations, painted the design using natural clay slips. The jar is fully designed with imagery across the surface.  There is a larger red fox and smaller pups.  The jar has some amazing detail that Juan paints with clay onto the clay vessel!   Juan wrote of the scene he painted as follows:

“The piece depicts what I recall my grandmother explaining that whenever you see the sun shinging brightly thorugh a rain storm it meant that “popovi da” (red fox) were being born.  Interwoven it the design I have the fox kits under the mingled representations of the sun and the rain”.

The jar is truly polychrome (more than three colors of clay).  Note the intricacy and detail in the various designs.  Below the shoulder are dragonflies.  While Juan is new to the pottery world, he recently won “Best of Pottery” at Gallup Ceremonials in 2017 and again in 2019.  He has been featured in articles in Cowboys & Indians Magazine and Native Art Magazine in 2018.