This is a wide shoulder water jar by Robert Patricio.  It is a classic Acoma water jar shape with a wide shoulder and a short neck.  The jar is painted with large rainbirds on each side. Their wings become the rainbows in the multi-colors.  There is a red rectangle at the beak of each of the birds, representing a field that is planted.  The rounded designs are the cloud spirits.  As the jar is turned, there are large rain designs that extend from the rim to the base.  The jar is complex in design with the use of thin lines, color, and open white space.  The jar is made from traditional Acoma clay and then painted with bee-weed (black) and two different red clay slips. 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