This is a deeply carved and highly polished red jar by Nathan Youngblood.  He is well known for his carved pottery and use of both traditional Santa Clara and other designs. This jar has a wide shoulder and a sloping neck.  The area around the center is fully carved with design.  Nathan says of the design,

“The jar has three different cloud designs.  One is the clouds just circling in the sky.  The next are the clouds building up to get ready to rain. The third group has the clouds and the rain coming down.  Right where the rain is coming down is where I etched the deer tracks.  The deer have come out to enjoy a spring rain.”

The jar is very fully carved and each of the sections of design builds up in concept as the jar is turned.  The four deer tracks etched into the clay are near the base of the jar.    The red clay slip is deep and rich in coloration and the jar was traditionally fired. The shape shows off the imagery and the angle of the short neck beautifully reflects the light.  While the shape, carving, and designing might seem like enough, Nathan also takes his pottery one step further. After it is fired, he uses small screwdrivers and scrapes the sides of the carved designs and the recessed areas, to create a visually striking contrast.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay with his name and deer tracks, which represent his name in Tewa.