Queen Bees Flowers Mata Ortiz Pottery:
Weight - 6 ounces
Height - 2.5 inches
Width - 4.5 inches
A ring is provided with this pottery.
This Queen Bees & Flowers Mata Ortiz Pottery is created by Angela Corona. It is a wonder of lovely, rich, full colors of yellow-gold, brick red, green with white clay. The glaze is applied on white clay native to the village. By etching deep into it, and painting the relief, a wonderful world of Chihuahua nature comes to life. This etching method used is called 'Sgrafitto' and has been used for millennia.
The queen bees come to life as they suspend themselves in mid-air to feed off the flowers. All the detail has been achieved through time consuming, intensive etching by this artistic team.
This pottery also has designs going back 1000 years to their ancestors, who were known as the Paquimé. The parallel bands on the bottom and encircling the mouth have the shapes and patterns associated with these ancient people of the Casas Grandes region. This team has even carried the colors and the Paquimé tradition to the underside of the pottery. Many potters from the village add these elements to their contemporary pottery as respect for those who came before them. Angela Corona signs her Queen Bees & Flowers Mata Ortiz Pottery artwork on the underside. _____
In the 1970s, a young man began experimenting with recreating ancient pottery he came across. He used the same clay sand mixtures made from materials found in the area where the ancients lived and made their pottery. The same firing techniques using the same local materials eventually created the same magnificent results. Half a century later, much of the village of Mata Ortiz has adopted these incredible skills for creating masterpieces, with each artist contributing their sense of beauty. The designs are bold, earthy, and individualistic.
Paint brushes consisting of one or two human hairs create the finest lines. Paints are developed from minerals found in the surrounding desert. These creations are truly unique transformations that can only be made by this small village from its soil.