Another
Master Potter Awes Art Aficionados
text
by connie ellig; photos by david hopps & connie ellig
Despite the rain and unseasonably chilly weather, more than three dozen
art enthusiasts from Baja and Southern California gathered at Ensenada’s
Galería Pérez Meillón on December 3 & 4, 2004,
to meet master potter Rubén Lozano Lucero,
his wife Anastasia Villa de Lozano, and brother-in-law Lázaro Villa.
Influenced by the work of Macario
Ortiz, Rubén Lozano is famous for his highly polished, reflective
blackware and is one of the most awarded potters in the village of Mata
Ortiz in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. Among his numerous honors
is the First Prize for a black polished pot in FONART’s 1993 Concurso Nacional
de Artesanías (National Artisan Contest), an award that was personally
presented to him by Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari.
Left
to right: Gallery owner Adalberto Pérez Meillón with Anastasia
Villa de Lozano, Rubén Lozano and Lázaro Villa.
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On Saturday morning, Ruben and Anastasia presented a fascinating pottery
demonstration that included hand forming, burnishing and decorating. Rubén
also demonstrated graphite painting techniques and visitors got hands-on
experience as they attempted the lengthy procedure of smoothly burnishing
a blackware pot.
After a short break, the potters began the intricate process of decorating
their ceramics using very fine paint brushes made from Rubén’s hair.
(Ruben’s personal brush contained seven straight hairs.) Since all ornamental
motifs and designs are painted freehand, each pot is a one-of-a-kind work
of art. Although a pottery firing had been scheduled, it was cancelled
due to rain. Following the demonstration, many aficionados took advantage
of the opportunity to purchase pottery by Rubén, Anastasia and Lázaro
at special prices.
Established in 1988, Galería
Pérez Meillón is the only gallery in Baja that features
a wide selection of ceramics by numerous Mata Ortiz (Casas Grandes) potters
like Rubén Lozano, Macario Ortiz, Mauro Quezada, César Domínguez
and Alvaro Quezada. It is located at Centro Artesanal, Blvd. Costero 1094
& Av. Castillo, Local #40, Ensenada. For more information or special
request items, contact knowledgeable owner Adalberto Pérez Meillón
at (646)175-7848 or e-mail
Saturday
pottery demonstrations by Anastasia and Rubén
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About
Mata Ortiz
The village of Mata Ortiz is located in the northern part of the state
of Chihuahua less than 100 miles from Mexico-U.S. border. In the 1970s,
the economic life of this small village of approximately 2,000 people was
transformed when a local artist, Juan Quezada, reinvented the technology
of Casas Grandes pottery-making and revived a tradition that had been native
to this region but lost for over 500 years. Juan Quezada first taught his
family, then other members of his community, how to create high quality
handcrafted, coiled pots (ollas) following centuries-old methods.
Today in Mata Ortiz, there are more than 300 skilled potters with diverse
styles whose constant quest for artistic expression is the source of the
movement’s artistic evolution. The contemporary work, which often incorporates
the motifs of Southwest Native American cultures, has come to be known
as Mata Ortiz Pottery and is considered one of the finest and most innovative
ceramics in the world.
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