This is a large, thin-walled open bowl by Al Qoyawayma.  It is coil-built and has a sharp shoulder and turned-out rim.  The bowl has two “T-Doors”, one opposite of the other.  Al said this piece was entitled, “Kiva Bowl”.  It is based on the large, round kiva at Chaco Canyon.  The T-doors are ones that are not only seen in the Southwest, but across the Americas.  They are incised with bricks on both the inside and outside of the bowl.  There is an inset piece of wood over the top of each door.  When looking inside the bowl, there are steps down from the doorway. Around the edge of the inside of the bowl are 30 square windows cut into the clay.  The interior is matte, except for the “bricks” by the doorway. The exterior is stone polished and the bowl is made from mavue colored Hopi clay. Al has made pieces with white, red, and tan Hopi clays over the years.  This large bowl is visually dynamic as even though it has a lot of “open space” in the center, there is always a perspective of looking through one of the doorways and out the other!  As is usual with Al’s pottery, this piece is large, simple, and elegant with an emphasis on form and contrast of matte and polished surfaces.  The jar is signed, “Al Qoyawayma”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.