This is a classic water jar by Robert Patricio.  This jar with a round shoulder and a short.  The jar is polished and then painted with bee-weed and two different colors of clay slips.  The jar has four large flower designs, each painted with thin lines.  They are surrounded by red and orange clay bands.  Extending down from the rim are cloud patterns and up from the base are mesa and flower designs.  It is not just a colorful jar but a complex combination of thin lines, open space, and detailed design.  The base is painted with red clay.  It is signed on the bottom, “R.  M.  Patricio”.  The jar is an exciting extension of his artistry in clay 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