This jar is part of a series Nathan Youngblood has made reflecting on the four seasons.  This jar is entitled “Spring Rains”.  The jar has tall sides and a short neck.  The piece is carved with four inter-connected rainclouds.  Each cloud is different in design with rain and wind designs.  Note the small deer tracks in various places on the jar.  There is a geometric line incised into the clay near the neck representing the deer coming out of winter and migrating.  The jar tells the story of Spring Rains and the rebirth they bring to nature.  Above and below the clouds are matte bands.  This is the only red-and-buff jar from this series as the water from the spring rains brings growth everywhere and are reflected in the use of this single coloration.    The jar is very tightly carved with small, complex designs.  As you may know, years ago Nathan designed a line of jewelry and this tight carving was inspired by the designs of his jewelry imagery. The carving is amazingly deep with sharp edges and the sections are polished a deep red. It 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 (see last photos)  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”.

Nathan says of his pottery:

“I’ve come to realize that each pot was a prayer. When you are designing, you convey your message using the symbols of a prayer. That’s why most of the pieces we make have some sort of water design on it. A prayer for water—rain, snow, some sort of moisture. Living in the Southwest, everyone is thinking about water. It’s a collective way of praying for moisture. Anything that will hold water, I put some sort of a water design on it.” Nathan Youngblood, Spoken Through Clay.