Vessel

Zia artists often paint their beautiful ceramics with themes taken from the world around them, and have done so for centuries. Bird and feather imagery appears frequently on their hand-built vessels, usually accompanied by foliage, flowers and sometimes berries. The birds on this pot are modeled after roadrunners, an animal native to the Zia Pueblo area. Roadrunners are usually colored red by Zia artists, so these are especially striking for being yellow, which was an individual design choice for this vessel. The painter's skill is demonstrated in the assurance evident in the strong clean lines, lively composition and harmonious combination of naturalistic elements.