Dark Shadow Skulls Mata Ortiz Pottery:
Height - 6 inches
Width - 4.5 inches
Weight - 15 ounces
Here is a new and original technique of Mata Ortiz pottery creation, developed and used only by Master Potter Señor Hilario Quezada Jr.. I acquired one of the first of these in January. Now their popularity has exploded. Señor Quezada has indicated that he will soon end making these to give his limited time to his more traditional creations.
This is a wonderful example of the cultural designs hailing back one thousand years meeting with an ever evolving contemporary approach. Generations of a humble community, in the heart of Chihuahua, is contained in this fine art.
The overlapping skulls with their soft yet sharp appearances are in homage to the Mexican National Holiday of Dia De Muertos on November 1. But never has it been represented quite like this. The modern interpretation of the celebration is masterfully joined with the traditional designs of Señor Quezadas ancestors, the Paquime, of the Casas Grandes region.
Nowhere else in the southwest is folk art of this level available or created. This is as much a trademark of Mata Ortiz as any preceding artwork. Made from native white clay harvested from the nearby foothills, the Paquime rings of the top and bottom are created by finely etching the black glaze down to the white native clay. How are the skulls created? At this time it is Señor Quezadas secret.
The Artist has signed his work on the underside of this Dark Shadow Skulls Mata Ortiz Pottery.