This is an exceptional large carved jar by Margaret Tafoya.  It is from the 1960s.  The jar is coil-built, carved, stone polished, and traditionally fired black. The design is carved in a band around the shoulder of the jar.  It is unusual as the design is not repetitive but tells a story. There is a step design for the mesas.  It depicts the wind, clouds, rain, and lightning in sky, as the rain gathers near the pueblo.  It is a creative flow of design and deeply carved into the clay.  The jar was fired to a glassy, deep black coloration.   It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Margaret”.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

“I have dressed my children with clay. The pottery has brought my children clothes and shoes and put them through good schools. It has enabled us to survive.”  Margaret Tafoya

“I asked her, ‘Mom, did you know you were famous?’ She said, ‘All I know is I do my best with my potteries. Making them the best way I know how. I didn’t know anything about fame, doing the best I could. I thank our Creator for blessing me with a gift to feed and clothe my children. To grow up to be men and women and raise their children the same way. It’s a gift.’”  Shirley Tafoya, 2007, Spoken Through Clay