This is a creative jar by Tammy Garcia.  The jar is one of her signature shapes with a modernist form.  The entire piece is fully carved.  There are turtles on the sides and the top of the jar. The turtles are carved and either matte, polished or stippled.  The two turtles on the top of the jar have inset natural Bisbee Turquoise as part of their shells.  The deeply carved water and geometric patterns which surround the turtles are mostly stippled which creates both an interesting texture and visual appearance.  Note the small leaves which are polished and come off the edges of the designs. There are also polished shells on the side and top and note how they are rounded and not flat!  Definitely an added degree of difficulty.  The jar was traditionally fired and I took some photos during the process.  The last photo is of the jar being fired as it starts out red, is fired and then covered in manure and finally just as it is taken out of the firing!  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.