Helen Shupla is certainly most famous for her exceptional melon jars.  However, she is also known for her creative carved and painted vessels. This open bowl is fully polished and has twisted handles.  Even the handles are polished!  The center is painted with a stylized bird design.  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 excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.