Russell Sanchez continues to use traditional techniques and materials to create his stunning works in clay.  This bear is highly polished and fired to a near gunmetal coloration.  The bear has a sharp ridge on the back, which Russell says makes it a “grizzly bear”, as their fur creates this sort of angle.  The high shine and near metallic appearance of the surface is perfect for the use of the black-lip mother of pearl shell used on the back.  Russell has inlaid a series of the shell dots which create not only a striking appearance with their black luminesence, but also with their texture. They are raised from the surface, which creates a contrast with the smooth polished clay.  There are five strands of shell and turquoise hei-shi beads along the back.  The eyes are turquoise.  The striking combination of colors and textures gives this bear both the appearance of both a historic piece and something that is also almost “industrial” with the feel of the shell inlay and the metallic color of the bear.  The heartline extends out from the mouth of the bear. The bear is a symbol of strength and the heartline is a traditional image used to symbolize the heart as the center of power in the animal.  The back has five bands of hei-shi beads, alternating between turquoise and jet.  The bear is signed on the bottom in the clay.