Stunning!  This is an impressive large water jar by Robert Patricio.  Robert is known for his classic forms and use of both traditional and pre-historic imagery.  This jar is coil built and thin-walled. It has a classic water jar shape with a high shoulder and a short neck.  I asked Robert how big he could make a fully fine-line jar with stars and this was the result.  It is a large jar and fully painted.  There are seven rows of stars.  They interlock horizontally and vertically with eight-sided stars connecting to four-sided stars. Take a moment and look at how even and close the lines are!  Exceptional!  The entire piece is painted using bee-weed (a plant). The second to the last photo is of the jar in process.  The inside rim and the base are painted with red clay, representing the sunset and sunrise.  Robert is certainly one of the leading traditional Acoma potters working today which is evidenced by his stunning forms and complementary designs.  The jar is signed on the bottom, “R. M. Patricio”.   The last photo is of Robert holding the jar.

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