Louise Goodman (1937-2015) was from Cow Springs on the Navajo Nation.  She began her pottery career making utilitarian pottery.  In the 1980s, she began making animal figures.  Her stylized bears are notable for their small heads and legs and substantial torsos, as well as surface textures that mimic a bear’s thick fur.  This is a classic bear and note in the back the rectangular opening as they were also inspired by “piggy banks”.  It was traditionally fired and then covered in pinon-pitch.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “LRG”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.