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Latin and
Caribbean Art:
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Peaks and Valleys by Elena Rodriguez F1504MX
Click on picture for details.
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To say Juan Mata Ortiz is enough to intrigue you. If you are an arts lover you probably already know
about the famous Mata Ortiz ceramics. From
this small location in Mata Ortiz, Casas Grandes in the Mexican Chihuahua State, comes one
of the most creative and beautiful ceramic arts forms in Latin America. A relatively recent artistic phenomenon, Mata
Ortiz ceramics have transformed the economic activity of this Northern Mexican community.
The style reemerged from a centuries old tradition that had been previously
discontinued. One man is responsible for this
artistic miracle. One day, while fetching
wood in the hills, this man found hidden deep in the caves beautiful, ancient pottery. He was amazed at the beauty of the pieces and at
the ingenuity of ancient people who produced such a work of art with so little resources. People of the area called them ‘ollas
pintas’. He was inspired to learn how
these were made. Through a painful process of
experimentation and self-learning, he became consumed by his newfound art form. |
This man is Juan Quezada. He started
making the pieces. He started teaching family
members the art form. Somehow, one piece
ended up in a small store in New Mexico in the 1970’s where an anthropologist and art
lover bought it. Mesmerized by the beauty,
symmetric pattern of the pieces, he set out to find the artist. With a picture of the vase on his hand, he
traveled Northern Mexico until some people directed him to Casas Grandes. To a surprised Juan Quezada in his adobe house,
this was the beginning of a cultural, artistic and economic renaissance to his small
community.Today you can enjoy the fine lines,
unique designs and exquisite beauty of Mata Ortiz ceramics at ElCoquiGalleries.com. The unique geometric lines, the lightness and
smooth walls of the pottery as well as the sophisticated mixture of natural earth colors
into the ceramic, made these a true work of art. Our
artists have been taught either directly or indirectly by the master, Juan Quezada, and
each is getting local and national recognition on their own at several art fairs and
collector’s circles. |
My Green by Nati Ortega, $380
Click on picture for details.
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Red Checkered by Yoly
Ledesma, F1504-MX,
$450 SOLD!
Red Checkered 2 by Yoly
Ledesma, F2007-MX,
$300
Intertwined by Lazaro Ponce,F2009-MX $340
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Lazaro Ponce Avalos is the brother of a highly paid ceramicist, Humberto Ponce. He learned to pot from Lopez’s family and
Quezada’s styles. The work is
characterized for the delicacy in line and structure, the Ollas, like balloons, show
checkered board design and alternating squares of black paint on the red clay, with the
blue-gray lines sweeping through the center of each square.Elena Rodriguez de Lopez is the wife of master Leonel Lopez and the older
system of Manolo Rodriguez. She taught her
husband to sand her pots, and perfected the full process to get the most singular
characteristic practice of graffito: scratching designs onto the surface of the clay body. Leonel is the best-known ceramicist in Barrio
Lopez, and together with his wife, they are the most prolific artists in the village. Her etched geometric feather images, as they
radiate around the rims of the pots are in perfect symmetry.
Nati Ortega, Manuel Rodriguez, Jose Quezada and Lydia Quezada bios coming soon.
Click on the names for the biographies of important potters Lila Silveira,
Carolina Marin Gonzalez, Mireya Quezada and Yoly Ledesma.
Excerpts
from Artes de Mexico, Mata Ortiz Ceramics #45. |
Paquine Snake by Lila
Silveira, F2006-MX, $380 |
Just Black by Carolina
Marin Gonzalez, J2008-MX, $190 |
Ascending by Mireya Quezada F2006-MX,, $380 |
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| Manuel
Rodriguez, $2,000 |
Lydia
Quezada, $2,100 |
Jose
Quezada, $3,500 |
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