Potters
“Renaissance” is the best word to describe what happened in the 1970s and 1980s in a remote Mexican town in Northern Chihuahua when Juan Quezada unearthed ancient Mexican pottery shards in the town of Mata Ortiz. Perhaps there was a shock of recognition of his ancestry when he examined the clay shards covered with graphic designs in earth colors. Whatever touched him turned into an artistic movement in the Western Hemisphere unseen since beads were introduced into North American Indian crafts. Juan began making pots and, through trial and error, mastered the ancient art and transformed it into a commercial enterprise and bright future for his town and its potters. He seemed destined for this art with his uncanny eye for design, ability to paint flawless surfaces, and diligence in discovering the right mixtures of clay, form, slip and heat to create his masterpieces.
By observing Juan at work, his immediate family, friends and village neighbors began acquiring a similar set of skills. The name Quezada on a Mata Ortiz pot translates into quality and beauty. Juan’s renown spread into North America as traders stumbled on these unusually beautiful pieces in southwestern stores. Soon, demand from collectors created a commercial opportunity for Mata Ortiz. Juan Quezada’s foresight in bringing reputable and reliable dealers into his workshop allowed him to share the wealth with his community.
The Quezada technique is taught by Juan to artists from around the world. Always discovering new processes, and always improving his already masterful technique, Juan passes his quest for perfection on to his contemporaries. The evolution in quality over the years is evident as potters develop signature styles and one wonders what ultimate perfection will be reached. Clay is worked by hand into eggshell thin forms - vases, ollas, seed pots, miniature pots and effigies polished, precision painted with slip with human hair brushes, and fired in “primitive” ovens using animal dung for fuel and upended metal buckets as kilns. It all conspires to create highly-collectible works of art.
Mata Ortiz pots come in the colors of the earth - white, red and black clay are used as the underpinning for etching, painting, glazing, burnishing, hand polishing and incising designs of unlimited imagination onto or into clay. There are no preset designs to follow and potters interpret ancient designs with modern eyes and hands. Most Mata Ortiz pots do not have a flattened base for balance but instead rest on a circle of twigs for balance. They are not utilitarian but truly a thing of beauty.
Rabbit olla |
Owl olla |