Youngblood, Christopher – Large Jar with 88 Swirls

6"w x 7.5"h

$ 7,400.00

WOW!  This is an exceptional piece by Christopher Youngblood. He creates intricately carved vessels that reflect a perfect balance of matte and polished surfaces with intricately carved designs.  This is a jar with straight sides, which both creates a lot of vertical space for design, but also a lot of “volume” as the entire surface has to be designed!  The jar 88 sections of carved and polished designs.  There are two bands of 36 “S” swirl melon ribs which encircle the piece.  They are deeply carved into the clay and highly polished.  Consider as well that each of the “S” swirls has a sharp ridge and two sides for polishing.  Then there are eight swirling bands around the neck and around the lower shoulder.  Each swirl has four loops that are carved, rounded and polished.  All together, there are 88 sections of carved and polished design!  Technically, it is a masterful piece to create all the various and also keep the matte background even and in contrast to the polished surfaces.  Visually, it is a modernist presentation of classic carved swirl designs that elevate the medium.  The piece was traditionally fired to a glassy black appearance  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Chris Youngblood”.

I’m pleased that I have been working with Chris since 2010 when I wrote the first article on him for Native People’s magazine.  It is exciting to see how his work has progressed over the years and the awards for his pottery, including the 2014 “Best of Pottery” at Santa Fe Indian Market.  He was featured in the book, Spoken Through Clay, and continues to be one of the leading young potters working today.