This is an intricately painted polychrome jar by Lois Gutierrez.  She is one of the few potters who continues to create polychrome pottery at Santa Clara.  Polychrome, or more than three different colors of clay slips, are all painted onto the surface of the vessel before it is fired. This is a water jar shape with a wide shoulder and an elongated neck.  This is one of the first times we have seen her use skunks as the design!  The skunks are painted in a more traditional two-dimensional style seen in earlier Pueblo art.  The skunks are next to a corn plant and there is a star in the sky.  Around each skunk is a rainbow.  Separating them are tightly painted rainclouds.  The inside neck of the jar is polished tan.  Below the shoulder are flowers.  Note all the colors on this jar!  There are at least EIGHT different colors of clay that are on the piece!  Did you know that Lois collects each of the different clays from around Santa Clara Pueblo in order to create these colorations?   The jar was traditionally fired.  It is signed on the bottom, “Lois 2020”.