This is an extraordinary large jar by Jennifer Tafoya. The piece is an unusual shape with an inwardly indented side.  The jar is fully polished and the inside is slipped with mica.  You may wonder why Jennifer makes so few large pieces and the answer is the amount of time it takes to etch and color the designs.  She can spend a month or more working on the designs, etching, and coloration on a larger jar just to get it right!  The jar is the perfect example of form and design. The unique shape gives one the feeling of looking into an aquarium, an aquarium of the past!  Among the numerous dinosaurs and fish on the jar are Ichthyosarus, Ammonites, Xiphartinus, Liopleurodoen, and Leedsicthys.  A few details to point out are the scales on the jar of the open mouth of the Liopleurodoen.  The ammonites are highly detailed, as are all the fish.  However, this jar is not just about detail or design.  It’s about movement and flow.  In your hands, turning the piece, it is as if the world in front of you is not just alive, but moving.  I would encourage you to think about larger pieces of Jennifer’s work like a painting in clay, creating a composition of design, story, color, and detail.  This piece is an exciting evolution in her own artistry.  Then Jennifer uses various clays to create the colorations on the surface of the piece.  All the various colors are derived from natural clay slips.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Jennifer Tafoya”.  Jennifer continues to be one of the leading innovative potters working today!  She most recently won the “Tony Da Award” for innovative pottery at Santa Fe Indian Market in 2019 and “Best of Show” in 2023!