Tina Diaz has skillfully created her own unique style of carving pottery.  She is one of only a handful of Santa Clara potters who has mastered the technique of polishing her pottery tan.  The tan is the natural color of the clay and the most difficult to polish to achieve a high shine.  This is a new jar she just brought into the gallery.  The jar is coil built, carved, and polished.  The neck of the jar is polished tan.  Below the shoulder, it is carved with a water serpent (avanyu) as the design.  The avanyu is polished both red and tan, in the various sections.  The base of the jar is polished red and has rain and water designs.  Interestingly, Tina’s pieces are always fully carved which gives them a very dramatic appearance.  It is always technically difficult to carve such sharp angles and delicate edges into the clay.  The background has the traditional cream-colored slip, which few potters use today because it is difficult to apply.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Tina Diaz”.