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 three different styles of melon ribs carved around the neck and body of the jar.  They each go in a different direction in each section.  One section has vertical “S” swirl ribs, the next has angular “S” Swirl ribs, and the final has slant ribs.  The ribs are VERY deeply carved into the clay.  They are each stone polished.  Consider that each rib has two sides and there is a lot of surface area of polishing on this jar!  The neck and base are matte in contrast to the polished surfaces.  The jar was traditionally fired to deep red coloration with a micaceous slipped interior.  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