Helen Shupla is certainly most famous for her exceptional melon jars.  However, she is also known for her creative carved and painted vessels. This bowl is round and painted with classic avanyu encircling the piece. The head of the avanyu is near the bottom of the bowl.  Helen’s painted black-on-black pottery has boldly painted imagery.  The bowl is from the late 1960s and it is highly polished and fired a deep black.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Helen, Santa Clara Pueblo”.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.