Mata Ortiz Pottery Black & White Sea Life:
Width - 3.5 inches
Height - 4.25 inches
Weight - 9 ounces
Ms. Pricila Martinez is an up and coming potter from the artist colony of Mata Ortiz. Her favorite motif is sea life, and she creates superb scenery. Ms. Martinez utilizes the ancient deep etching technique of 'Sgafritto'. She covers the native white clay with a layer of black glaze with the most wonderful shiny surface. Then she etches through to the underlying white clay. Through her selective process of what to remove, magnificent things come to life. For such a small pot, the density of sea life is immense. The scene is set as two 'windows' on either side, which look into a world of unbelievable detail and richness. There are sharks, sailfish, and even an orca. I recognize a number of other fish, but do not know their names. The shine of the black glaze makes this appear like a large jewel. This is a one-of-a-kind marvel from the world of Chihuahua folk art.
Ms. Martinez signs her pottery.
A pottery ring is included for this Mata Ortiz Pottery Black & White Sea Life:. Mata Ortiz is not made to hold water.