Mata Ortiz Large Geometric Seed Pot Mexican Pottery Art

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Mata Ortiz Large Geometric Seed Pot Mexican Pottery Art

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Sold Date: 04/21/2008
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Ethnic, Folk & Native American Art

Large Geometric Design Seed Pot by Octavio Andrew of Mata Ortiz, Mexico
This Large Seed Pot is brought to you by one of our favorite artists, Octavio Andrew of the village of Mata Ortiz. It was a pleasure to enter his home, and get to know him. A humble man, he is a true artist who loves to see people enjoy his work. We could have spent the whole day talking to him. The sleek and simple designs of his pottery draw us in! Approximate Measurements: 3 1/4"High x 24 1/2" Circumference (or measurement around the outer edge of the pot) Artist: Octavio Andrew, Mexico
Original pottery shards found close to the ruins of Paquime in the north of Mexico inspired the reinvention of this once lost art form in Mata Ortiz by the original master potter Juan Quezada. Juan Quezada practiced this art form over and over, until he was able to perfect the technique used by the Indians of northern Mexico. In turn, Juan then taught many members of his community this beautiful art form. Now t are over 400 families producing pottery by hand in Mata Ortiz. In an area of Northern Mexico that loses many of its community members to immigration, Mata Ortiz now shines as an example of self reliance. Sales of this very special pottery, collected around the world and featured in numerous museums and high end galleries, has brought stability to this community. It was a great experience for us at DeSilva Imports to have had the chance to take a pottery class at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California, with master potter Juan Quezada. We followed up the class with a visit to Mata Ortiz, and experienced this wonderful art form in the village w it all started. It was on this trip, that we were delighted to hand select the pottery that we are offering on ebay, and on our main website. We hope that you will enjoy it as much as we do.
One of our favorite parts of the experience of hand selecting these works of art, is seeing how these traditions and art forms are passed on within the same family and villages. When purchasing items, we go direct to the artisan whenever possible, and see these art forms created often at the artists' own homes. In a world so focused on mass production of lesser quality products, it is nice to discover the beauty of a handcrafted work of folk art. The purchase of these works of art will help to assure that these traditions are kept alive. Please note that a percentage of our sales at DeSilva Imports are donated to the Tribus Mixes of Oaxaca, Mexico. They are a wonderful organization on the outskirts of Oaxaca, seeking to provide a better future for the children of their village. Two brothers, Neftali and Noe, run a school for children from the Mixes tribe. Their village is located in a remote location within the state of Oaxaca, and as such the children would typically not have access to the type of education that can be found in the city. At the home they provide, the brothers teach the children the arts of wood carving and painting. They then use the money that they raise from selling these whimsical and fantastic carvings to provide for the expenses of the children attending school in the city. Besides education, the Tribus Mixes also run a seedling program to re- plant trees that have been destroyed close to their village. An ecological hope for a beautiful future for many generations to come. When we asked these wonderful brothers as to why they have dedicated their lives to helping others, their response was that they wanted to assure that the next generation of their village had the opportunities that were never available to the brothers growing up. We think that their work is fantastic, and through our sales, seek to provide scholarship funds for these wonderful and very talented children. If we do not currently have any Tribus Mixes pieces available on auction, you can also see examples of their work on our main webpage at