This is a classic water jar by Nathan Youngblood.  The piece is fully carved, highly polished, and fired a deep red.  The jar has a classic water jar shape with a round body and a slightly turned out rim.  The neck of the jar has carved feathers  Around the center of the jar is a complex avanyu encircling the jar.  Note the additional small designs of deer tracks or rain on the body of the avanyu.  The jar is entitled, “Lightning Strike” and there is a bolt of lightning carved so it is extending up from the base of the jar.  The carved designs are polished red and are separated by matte rounded clouds.  On a technical note, there is a continuous precision and depth to the carving in his pottery.  The deep red clay slip is high in iron oxide and fires a deep red.  The contrast of the polished red and matte is stunning!  It is an exceptionally intricate jar with sharp edges and complex patterns. The piece was traditionally fired and on Nathan’s red pieces, after they are fired, he uses screwdrivers to scrape the background area and the side of the carving.  This can take almost as much time as the carving or polishing itself!  Amazing the amount of time that goes into each vessel and yet how stunning they appear!  It is signed on the bottom in the clay with his name and hallmarked name in Tewa, which means “Deer Path”.