Nathan Youngblood has long created his own “lexicon in clay” with his distinctive designs which pull from Pueblo, personal and cultural experiences.  This stunning water jar is an exceptional shape with a round body, a double shoulder and an elongated neck.  The design is a complicated story of the eagle in the sky and the fish under the water. The fish are swimming and the double shoulder of the jar is set at such a point that it becomes the waves above the fish!  The jar is very deeply carved and the surface is polished a stunning deep red coloration. As the jar is turned the eagle and fish swirl around the surface of the piece. The lowest section of the jar is polished tan.  The scene is a reflection of Nathan’s love of nature and it’s interaction with Pueblo life, culture and stories. 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 result simply speaks for itself.  Lustrous!