This is a very detailed water jar by Tammy Garcia.  The jar is carved on numerous levels with contrasting polished and matte surfaces.  The piece has a heartline bear on each side. They are carved in a medallion “frame” with four bear paws extending out in four directions.  There are half-circle clouds polished around the medallion.  Check out how there are SIX layers on the bears, from the heartline to the clouds.  WOW!  There are ten flowers carved into the piece with each having five polished sections for a total of 50 small polished areas.  Why point this out? It is not just time-consuming to carve the flower petals, but equally time-consuming to polish each of the sections.  The area surrounding the carved and polished designs is stippled so that they have an additional texture. This is a time-consuming process but one which visually adds to the overall impact of the design. It is amazing how complex this jar is in terms of her carving.  The jar was traditionally fired black and the polished areas shine with a glassy appearance!  Stunning!  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Tammy Garcia”.  Tammy has won numerous awards for her pottery and has been the recipient of the New Mexico Governor’s award.  It’s not surprising that with the intricate nature of her pottery, she makes only about ten pieces of pottery a year.  Yet each piece is unique and expands on her distinctive style and voice in the clay.  Tammy says of her new evolving art in clay:

“My love for jewelry reveals itself in the clay.  I want to make each piece I make precious, jewel-like. My new “pillow effect” is really tapering.  It’s achieved in the carving process.  I do it so that the area surrounding the carved designs is higher and the edges are recessed.  It makes the carving more delicate but also less fragile.   I love detail.  When I’m carving a piece the smaller the carved line the more fragile.  Each layer is a fragile, delicate balance of one design on top of another. I want to be able to get more detail and create the optical illusion of even more layers from a distance.  I’ve been working to create even more detail in my work than ever before. “