This new jar by Tammy Garcia is creative in design.  On one side she has a Pueblo bird with flowers.  It is surrounded by a frame of additional flower designs.  As the jar is turned, there are multiple layers of carved sections with flower and geometric patterns.  Note how she has carved into FIVE layers!  As well, there are various colors of clay slip surrounded by stippling.  The side opposite the bird has a Pueblo girl holding a jar with the same bird design.  Again the contrast of polished and matte surface draws the eye to various levels of the design.  The areas surrounding the carved and polished designs are 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.  Note the various layers of the jar as she uses polished, matte, and stippled surfaces to create various textures and visual contrasts.  Stunning!  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Tammy Garcia”.  Tammy has won numerous awards for her pottery and 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 also 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. “