WOW!  This is a striking jar by Christopher Youngblood.  He is creating carved vessels that reflect a strong balance of matte and polished surfaces with tightly carved designs.  This jar is coil-built, carved, and stone polished.  The jar has two large birds as part of the design.  They are complex in their design and fully polished.  Surrounding the birds are cloud swirls.  Each swirl has four rows and note how they are rounded out and fully polished. Two of them extend from the rim to the base in a series of three swirls. There is also one single swirl near the base.  The background area is matte and smooth, which draws the eye to the carved and polished areas.  The jar was traditionally fired to a glossy black.  There are photos of the firing at the end of the photos.  Chris says that he focuses on each piece, taking the time to work on the shape and stone polish the surface to a high shine, often polishing a piece several times to get it right. He has won numerous awards for his pottery, including the 2104 “Best of Pottery” at Santa Fe Indian Market and “Best of Pottery” at Gallup Ceremonials in 2021.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Chris Youngblood”.  This jar has a second place ribbon from the 2022 Gallup Ceremonials.

Chris has said of his pottery:

“I’ve had generations of people before me who have had to learn the hard way. I’ve had that information given to me without having to go through all the struggles. But, I would say on the flip side, having someone so technically advanced as your teacher (Nancy Youngblood), let alone your mother, it’s hard. The expectations are a lot higher.  I’ve learned that now, I never think it’s done. I keep going until I cannot find anything I can refine or add to the piece. To achieve an ever-higher level of precision takes a lifetime. ’s not something you learn, it’s something you live.”  Christopher Youngblood, Spoken Through Clay