Mata Ortiz is a small Mexican village with a community of 2000 people that has yielded over 400 talented, creative, skilled, and innovative potters who have followed the lead of their resident Master Potter, Juan Quezada. These artisans have produced exquisite vessels reminiscent of the ancient Casas Grandes pottery of the region. Although they are new artists, they have integrated the past along with their own contemporary styles and interpretations of the present to create unique works. Mata Ortiz Pottery is high quality in both the building and in decorating the surface of a pot.
Among the finest contemporary ceramics found anywhere in the world is Mata Ortiz Pottery. Collections may be found in renowned museums throughout North America. The pottery is handmade from local, natural materials, and then fired in cottonwood bark or cow dung. There are over three hundred potters who make highly collectible earthenware, which include fine polychrome pieces, Black on Black pottery, red pottery, and animal figures. Native American artists in the Southwestern United States have created similar pottery to that of Mata Ortiz pottery. The artists focus on traditional designs for pots in which innovative style is featured. From Mexico City to New York to Tokyo, art collectors share excitement and respect for the new artists of Mata Ortiz. Some of the new Black on Black pottery artists are Alonso Meraz, Beto Hernandez, Cesar Sandoval, Oscar Quezada, Rosa Quezada, Eusebio Sandoval, and Eli Navarette Ortiz, and Anastacia Villa.
In the early 1900’s, Black on Black pottery was made famous by Maria Martinez and her husband. They developed a special technique that would allow for areas of the pottery to have a matte finish and other areas to be a glossy jet black. The pottery has become increasingly more collectible and difficult to find as both artists have passed away.
Black on Black refers to the highly burnished black pottery that the artists of Mata Ortiz create when they fire their pottery without oxygen. Black on Black pottery also comes from Santa Clara and San Ildefonso, which are found along the Rio Grande River north of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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