WoW!  This is a spectacular oval 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 rounded clouds and rain showers created with melon ribs.  Surrounding the ribs are oval-shaped raindrops.  Separating the red polished areas are micaceous slipped lightning designs.  The base of the jar has carved rounded melon ribs slipped with mica.  The sides have deeply carved melon ribs swirling down from the rim to the base.  Chris has become exceptional with his red-fired pieces and getting a deep coloration from the firing.  Each piece is traditionally fired outdoors and that helps achieve the deep, rich coloration of the red.  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”.

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