This is a classic water jar by Robert Patricio. This jar has a round body and a short neck.  The jar is coil built and painted with bee-weed (black).  The design is a series of interlocking butterfly wings.  It is a creative op-art design that ebbs and flows around the surface of the piece.  Note how the butterflies vary in size relative to the shape of the jar!  The jar is signed on the bottom, “R.  M.  Patricio”.  The jar is a striking extension of his clay artistry and continues the amazing Acoma legacy.  Robert is one of the few artists who has won “Best of Pottery” at Santa Fe Indian Market two times, and most recently in 2022.  The last photo is one of this jar with a piece by Marie Z. Chino, reflecting on the continuation of historic designs in Acoma pottery. 

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