This spectacular water jar by Russell Sanchez is a modern take on the very classic style of San Ildeofnso pottery.  The shape of the jar is inspired by the historic Pueblo water jar with a wide shoulder and turned out rim. The colors on this jar are all from natural clay slips and they are simply stunning. The deep red is the same red clay which was used in the 1920’s!  The black areas are a black micaceous clay which he has polished.  On this piece, the black seems an even deep tone, which further enhances the red.  The shoulder of the jar is divided into sections.  The etched designs are inspired by the work of Tonita & Juan Cruz, with the thin lines, the linear rain patterns, the swirling interconnected designs and the mirror imaging.  They are complicated patterns delicately etched into the clay.  Each of the red panels is separated by a diamond-shaped snow design.  Now for the complicated part to this jar!  The base is impressed with sixteen melon ribs, as is the neck. The reflection of these in the light with the deep black, is visually striking. The rim of the jar has sixteen ribs, each rounded out and ending at a small ledge, which he built into the piece to hold the lid!  The lid is polished black mica and the deep red.  The top of the lid is so highly polished it almost seems to be a stone!  The jar has inset hei-shi beads made from shell.  There are four rows inset into the jar and two in the lid.  The new work of Russell’s pulls from such a rich context that there become many levels of interpretation and enjoyment.  The jar is traditionally fired outside and it is signed in the clay on the bottom.

“There is a huge change going on right now. People are rediscovering Pueblo pottery.  History has a lot to do with it. Every time I sell a pot, that’s what I talk about. It says something and it speaks. It’s true. The pots do speak to you, and you can feel the energy and what the pot is saying.” Russell Sanchez in “Spoken Through Clay”.

Russell Sanchez: Contemporizing the Pueblo Pottery Past