LuAnn Tafoya is a daughter of Margaret Tafoya and known for her large, highly polished pottery.  This water jar has a double shoulder or “rainbow ridge”.  A rainbow ridge is a classic form in Santa Clara pottery.  It is said of this form:

“Sarafina was inspired by the legends of Santa Clara Pueblo, which were incorporated into her pottery. On the shoulder of her water jars, a second raised section or ‘double shoulder’ created a ‘rainbow band.’ This band was a prayer to keep the water from evaporating from the jar.” — Charles S. King, 2008, Born of Fire: The Life and Pottery of Margaret Tafoya

The jar itself is very highly polished and has a tall shape.  There are four bear paws impressed into the clay and then the jar was fully polished.  The bear paws tell the story of how a bear led the people of Santa Clara to water during a drought.  The double shoulder and bear paws all create additional surfaces for light reflections.  It is not often that LuAnn creates smaller pieces, let alone such a classic in form and also in red clay.  The polishing has a glassy appearance and works perfectly on this piece.   Simple and traditional.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “LuAnn Tafoya”.

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