Moroni Quezada
Ron and Vicki Sullivan
Mark your calendars for the fall 2019 Mata Ortiz pottery, jewelry and Zapotec weaving show coming to Quail Creek’s Kino Conference Center Oct. 11 through 13.
Returning to the Kino Conference Center are acclaimed potters Lydia Quezada and son Moroni. Using only the most primitive of methods, Lydia and Moroni create stunning contemporary pots in a wide variety of colors. Their firing techniques mirror the style used in the ancient Casas Grandes culture. Moroni commented, “When firing ollas, I have never used a kiln in my entire life.” Lydia’s three black colors of shiny, satiny and matte used to decorate her vessels remain a carefully guarded secret.
Also appearing for their first Kino show are Mata Ortiz sgraffito-style carvers Hector Javier Martinez and Gabriela Perez. Javier started by painting figures on his pots before he developed his famed sgraffito style. He uses only a needle for carving and etching the designs, plus a whetstone to keep the needle tip sharp. His pieces feature highly detailed Dia de la Muertos figures celebrating with music, dance and libations. Gaby carves the lettering.
Join us once again for master Zapotec weaver Porfirio Gutierrez’s “Traditional Zapotec Dyes: Survival in the Modern World” lecture and dye demonstrations each day of the event at 1:00 p.m. Peruse his displays of eye-dazzling, natural-dye colors as they appear to dance and glow, evoking the many moods of his Zapotec heritage in Oaxaca. Woven by hand, he and his family evoke the intricacies of traditional Zapotec art.
Rounding out the event is jewelry made from contemporary Mata Ortiz pottery shards wrapped in 92.5% silver by Agustin Torres Beltran, a Nahuatl Indian residing in Taxco, Mexico. Each piece is one-of-a-kind, totally hand formed.
The hours of the event are Oct. 11, noon to 5:00 p.m., Oct. 12, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Oct. 13, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.