Carol Velarde is known for her deeply carved pottery. This is one of her figurative bears.  The bear is made from clay and carved with a heartline. The heartline is symbolic of the heart being the spiritual center of the bear.  Note how deeply she carves into the clay and after it is carved and polished she then uses clay to outline the design.  Visually, this makes the imagery more dramatic.  The bear is signed on the bottom in the clay.