This is a spectacular large water jar by Robert Patricio.  This jar has a high, round shoulder and a short neck.  The jar is painted with bee-weed and different clay slips.  Technically, this is always difficult to create and not have it crack during drying or firing.  Robert was inspired in this form by historic Acoma vessels.  This jar has Acoma birds around the neck and base. There are additional smaller birds below the shoulder of the jar.  Separating the birds are very complex old-style cloud designs. The clouds extend from the neck to the base.  Note the use of the open white space to accentuate his designs and the TINY rain clouds on the rim of the jar!  The detail and flow of this jar is spectacular.  The base is painted with red clay.  It is signed on the bottom, “R.  M.  Patricio”.  The jar is an exciting extension of his clay artistry and continues the amazing Acoma legacy.   

Robert said recently of his pottery:

““The pottery inspires me to keep going.  Keeping the tradition alive in making pottery, that’s how we were brought up.  Our ancestors started making pottery.  It’s amazing what comes of a piece of clay. When you come to Acoma it’s peacuful and quite.  When you look a piece of pottery, you see the same peacefulness.”   Robert Patricio, 2020