This is a striking jar by Les Namingha.  His pottery designs are a creative blend of Hopi-Tewa and modernist designs.  The jar is a round shape with a short, asymmetric neck.  It is fully painted on top with a complex pattern of Hopi-Tewa style birds.  The birds are painted in various colors and overlap in an intense flow of imagery.  In the background you can see the single black line looping in and out, connecting all the birds!  Below the shoulder, there is a yellow sunrise design and near the base a triangular cloud pattern.  The lower geometric designs certainly draw the eye up to the intricately painted birds!  This jar is part of his “Urban Polychrome” series, of which Les says:

“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. This concept of layering is the idea behind Urban Polychrome and other works in the Urban Series.”  Les Namingha