Made of grey clay that fires beige, this plainware low bowl is decorated with three rows of impressed triangular design. Garnet Pavatea was known for using a can opener to create such impressions and, although she was a fine painter, this technique became her iconic style. The firing of this bowl called substantial spaling on the bottom of the interior and it seems that some sort of fixative was used to reattach some of the flaked clay. For a smaller jar made of clay that fires red and decorated by Garnet using the same technique, see the Index of Artists.
The use of a church key to create such impressions seems to be limited to the 1970s and, while Garnet was the best-known practitioner, others also used this technique. (See also 2012-17, the next pot in the collection.)
