Dominique Toya is known for her intricately carved pottery with sharply ridged melon swirls.  She has created her distinctive style of pottery using native clay and micaceous clay slips for the surface.  This jar is square in shape. There are four panels swirling down from the rim to the base. Each panel is polished red.  Separating them, are four sections, each with four sharply carved melon ribs.  There are a total of 16 carved ribs on the piece.  It is amazing how she was able to carve them over the angle of the square jar!  They are slipped with a copper color of mica.  It is a striking contrast between the polished and matte surfaces.  It is signed on the bottom, “Dominique Toya”.  Dominique has won numerous awards for her pottery and continues to be one of the leading Jemez potters working today!