This is a classic water jar with a relief-designed scene by Elizabeth Manygoats.  She is a daughter of noted potter Betty Manygoats.  Elizabeth is known for her folk-art style pottery with figures in relief or applique on the surface.  She says that she often emphasizes Navajo women and their daily lives in her work because “They’re the ones I look up to.”  This jar is coil-built and very thin-walled.  It has a flat shoulder and an extended neck.  On the shoulder of the jar is a girl reading a book, a dog, and a sheep. In relief in the background is Monument Valley along with a tree, chicken, horse, and clouds. Below the shoulder in relief are sheep eating the grass.  The base of the jar is just the natural coloration of the clay and the firing.  I like that everywhere you look there is something textural or subtle to catch your eye and make you think about life in Navajo country.  The various colors are added to highlight the imagery.  The jar is traditionally fired to create variations in color to the clay surface.  After the firing, the entire piece is painted and covered in pine pitch in the manner of traditional Navajo pottery.  The piece is signed on the bottom in the clay, “EM”  Elizabeth has won numerous awards for her pottery over the years.  It can also be found in museums throughout the southwest.