Tammy Garcia is known for her contemporary designs and use of traditional clay. This bottle shaped vessel is coil built, carved and polished.  However, the message and style if one of a contemporary imagery. Tammy says of this piece,

“By the nature of the content, poison bottles are in a unique category for collecting.  Made to be identified by touch, studs adorn the sides.  Bold poison letters stand out against a gold background.  When collecting these bottles, caution must be exercised, since it is not uncommon to find a poison bottle with its original contents, making a skull and corssbones appropriate for the piece.”

This canteen has the carved and polished skull and crossbones on one side, and the wording “poison” on the other. The care and precision of the carving of the letters is always difficult!  The background is gold leaf, which is added after the firing. The contrast of the black firing and the gold leaf is striking and adds to the impact of the vessel.  The jar has various levels of carving and use of mate and polished surfaces accentuate the designs. The idea of glass bottle recreated in clay is a fascinating concept and adds another dimension to the overall concept of this piece.  Tammy has won numerous awards for her pottery for nearly the past 30 years.  Her creative work in clay, glass and bronze is found in museums worldwide.  It is exciting to see how her contemporary work continues to move Pueblo pottery forward with it innovations.