Dextra Quostkuyva Nampeyo is certainly one of the most influential Hopi-Tewa potters of the last 50 years. Not only has she taught numerous potters (Steve Lucas, Yvonne Lucas, Les Namingha, Loren Ami, Hisi Nampeyo, to name just a few), but her creative designs and forms changed have dramatically influenced the pottery itself.  This large jar is from the late 1980s.  The piece is part of a series she created where she did not polish the surface of her pottery but instead left it matte.  Dextra was always experimental in her approach to pottery and would often push the boundaries of what was “acceptable” in Hopi-Tewa wares.  This large jar is a classic Sikyatki form with a wide shoulder and a short neck.  The top of the jar is very intricately painted with an eagle tail design.  The thin lines and complex pattern are highlighted by polished red areas.  The large red sections accentuate both design and form.  The black is bee-weed and the red is a clay slip.  The jar was traditionally fired and there are a few blushes on the surface.  It is signed on the bottom in bee-weed, “Dextra” along with a corn plant to represent the Corn Clan.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  Dextra was the subject of a retrospective of her pottery at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe, along with a companion book entitled, “Painted Perfection“.