Sanchez, Kathy “Wan Povi” – Black and Sienna Clay Bear with Turquoise Insets

This is a complex jar by Kathy “Wan Povi” Sanchez (b. 1950).  Kathy is a great-great-granddaughter of Maria Martinez and a sister of Barbara Gonzales.  This jar is round in shape and the top is fully polished and the bottom is slipped with mica.  The jar was fired to a glassy black.  The designs are lightly etched into the clay. There is a bear under a rain cloud.  The remainder of the jar has a water serpent with turtles playing along its back.  There is a lot of detail in the rain cloud and turtle shells.  After the jar was fired, it was two-toned sienna in areas to accentuate the design.   All the etching was done after the firing.  The jar is signed, “Wan Povi” on the bottom.  While Kathy makes little pottery today, the technical expertise of her shape, polish, and design is certainly evident.  The jar is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.