This is an unusual but visually striking water jar from LuAnn Tafoya.  She is a daughter of Margaret Tafoya and learned to make large vessels from her mother.  This jar is coil built, stone polished, and traditionally fired. It is a classic water jar shape with a round body and turned out rim. The jar is carved with 24 straight melon ribs.  They are even and symmetric in form and extend from the shoulder to the base.  They are carved into the clay. The entire piece is fully polished and fired a deep black.  The inside of the rim of the jar is also fully polished.  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “LuAnn Tafoya”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.

“When I was twelve, I remember one Saturday morning my mom said, “We are going to polish today.” I looked at her, and I said, “Polish today? I’ve never polished a pot.” She put up a table, and I sat on one side and she sat on the other side. She started putting the clay slip on some small pieces. As soon as it was ready for me to polish, she would hand me the small pot. She kept putting the slip onto six small bowls. It was like a rotation of working on it. After she put the slip on then I would start polishing, so we keep on going. That’s where I remember starting to work on the pots.”  LuAnn Tafoya, Spoken Through Clay