Here’s something rare to see. This is a collection of pots at the Imperial Valley Desert Museum in Ocotillo, CA. They are painted with California desert pictograph motifs, just as four corners pottery reflects its local petroglyphs.
This style is pretty unusual. It is the first time I’ve seen it. Our host at the museum explained their suspicion that there are more of these than people think, but they’re either in people’s homes or are hiding in plain sight as brown pots that haven’t been D-stretched yet. (D-stretch is a photographic process that highlights faded pigment on stone or stonewear.)
I D-stretched one unassuming pot covered with very faded black pigment to show how true it could be that images may have been eroded from the surface of pots. See the technicolor D-stretched image below.
Go D-stretch all your pottery! 😂
THE ANCIENT SOUTHWEST 