Not long ago, pottery was a lost art in Chihuahua, Mexico. But in the 1970s, near the ruins of Casas Grandes, an art revolution was born. Inspired by ancient pottery fragments from a tradition that had disappeared before the arrival of the first Europeans, a self-taught woodcutter-turned-artist reinvented an entire ceramic technology. Today Casas Grandes pottery, made by hand from local clays and mineral colors by a handful of artists, claims high prices and sets the standard for contemporary pottery. Photographer Sandra Smith traveled to Mata Ortíz to photograph the potters and to record their reflections on their work. Her portraits document their techniques—collecting and preparing the clay, forming by hand, sanding, and painting. They also capture intimate moments between artists and their art. For anyone who has ever admired Casas Grandes pottery, Portraits of Clay is a beautiful introduction to the potters and their work.
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Text: English, Spanish
About the Author
Sandra S. Smith is a photographer living in Tucson, Arizona. Her exhibition on the potters of Mata Ortíz is currently on display at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mata Ortiz is well represented by this book!,
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This review is from: Portraits of Clay: Potters of Mata Ortíz (Paperback)
This is a great book about the history of Mata Ortiz with many wonderful photos of the artists and their work. Not as complete as the 'many faces' book, but WELL worth the price. Some of the same pots from this book can be seen in 3D at www.ortizpots.com. Having lived in Mata Ortiz, i've seen many publications, few as well made as this one.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Portraits of Clay -- a gem!,
This review is from: Portraits of Clay: Potters of Mata Ortíz (Paperback)
This beautiful book provides an intimate look at the potters and pottery of Mata Ortiz. With gorgeous black and white photographs, and statements from the potters in both Spanish and English, Portraits of Clay introduces readers to many of the Mata Ortiz potters, and documents all stages in the process of making the pots. If you're looking for an art book on Mata Ortiz, this is the one for you!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Potters of Mata Ortiz,
By RSG reviews "RSG" (Bloomfield Hills, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Portraits of Clay: Potters of Mata Ortíz (Paperback)
This book was small and low on content. I returned it.
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