LuAnn Tafoya is a daughter of Margaret Tafoya and known for her large, highly polished pottery.  This is a recent water jar. It has a double shoulder or “rainbow ridge”.  The 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 four bear paws impressed into the clay and polished over.  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 the 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”.