This jar by Les Namingha is a striking balance of form and complicated design.  He is one of those potters who continues to defy expectations in his innovative clay art.  He pulls from his artistic background as well as his Zuni and Hopi heritage.  this jar has a wonderful large Hopi-style bird as the central design.  As the jar is turned, there are various layers of design from his classic pointillism to abstract linear geometries.  It seems to pull together various stages of Les’s pottery designs.  On his new layer designed pottery, Les has said:

“The concept of layering is inherent in our mortal journey. As time moves forward, our memories become layered. Some memories remain vibrant, others faint or hazy. Yet others, obscure or even hidden. Likewise, our experiences, words, works, emotions, prayers and songs build up in layers creating our existence. In turn, our societal interactions become exercises in layering. We see this in evidence with street art or graffiti writing where layers of thought and a desire to express a “proof of existence” create tapestries of color and marks. Blending, covering, harmonizing, dissonance, disappearing.”

It is a complex piece and yet it has its own flow and dynamic appearance. The layered lines in the bird figure even have the appearance of the lines of stone on a piece of jewelry by Charles Loloma.  It is signed on the bottom, “Les Namingha”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.