WOW!  This is an exceptional new jar by Linda Tafoya-Sanchez.  This jar has a round body and a short neck.  The neck of the jar is carved with an Okhay Owingeh (San Juan) style cloud pattern.  Around the shoulder are two carved avanyu, and near the base are 36 carved feathers.  The carving and polishing are precise and deep. What is new is the color!  Linda has been trying various traditional firing techniques, and she has been able to achieve this coloration, which is plum coloration (a purplish-reddish-brown), that is exceptional in person!  The color seems to change in the light. It is exciting that not only has she created this coloration, but she has also been able to achieve it consistently.  She says it is a bit more work in the firing, but the results are worth the time and risk.  The jar has a very modernist appearance and yet is classic in traditional design elements. It is signed on the bottom, “Linda Tafoya-Sanchez”.

The story of the Water Serpent as told by Toni Roller:

“The water serpent, we were told, it represents life. It represents the water, which is important to life, to people, plants, and animals. The water design is very important to put on pots to honor that serpent. We used to ask, “What is the water serpent?” We were told the water serpent is in the rivers, the big rivers. At one time, when my mother was young, there were no bridges to cross over the Rio Grande. They were always told that if you see a water serpent, your life is going to be long. She did see one laying on the rock. She said it was huge, snakelike, and she said she just stared at it and couldn’t holler for anyone else to see. If you look at the serpent design, it has all the weather designs. The lightning on the tongue of the serpent, and there are mountain designs and rain designs and all the weather elements. .”  Toni Roller, Spoken Through Clay