Nathan Youngblood has often been inspired in his pottery shapes by the work of his grandmother, Margaret Tafoya.  The round shape of this jar and the slight neck reflects his desire to keep the storage jar form alive. The shape is a visually striking one, but one which is difficult to build, and more that it is a lot of space to carve or polish!  The key to this jar is the base, which is polished tan and there are two lines leading upward, carved through the tan “earth” of the jar.  The short one represents his mother, Mela Youngblood, and the longer one, Margaret Tafoya.  Nathan said of this piece that it is their teaching and legacy, which is the “spring” which wells up and nourishes the designs on the jar.  The jar itself is one of his most fully carved pieces! There is scarcely a section left uncarved.  The medallions on each side, one has the avanyu (water serpent) and the other a maze of life. They are visually contrasting with one being so angular and the other very rounded.  Separating them are layers of carved patterns with designs which range from the walking bear paw to clouds, rain and all the various designs Nathan has ever used in his pottery (well, that he could remember!). That is his legacy in this jar, to keep all these images alive, much as it was Margaret Tafoya’s legacy to keep the pottery tradition alive.  The jar is very deeply carved and the surface is polished to a stunning deep red coloration.  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.  This style has been called, “the new Santa Clara polychrome”, although I usually called it “tri-color” with the variations of red, matte and buff areas. The jar was traditionally fired and the massive size and fully carved surface are stunning.  The story of the legacy created this jar is as impactful as the vessel itself.