The Many Faces of Mata Ortiz

I appreciate knowing the folks behind these fabulous pots, the history and rediscovery and present day evolution of this ancient tradition in the area. I am left wanting to know where they all got to, and who is doing it now. I bought the book not realizing that it was done in the 90's--my oversight. This is a truly beautiful book, and a tribute to the first generation potters and their up-and-comers who brought Mata Ortiz pottery into a completely unbelievable mind-blowing level of sophistication. This is AS GOOD AS IT GETS, if you are interested in seeing hand coiled pots decorated with home-made brushes and locally processed clay become works that look like they were produced by orb-people from some distance planet. The symmetry and sheen is better than any wheel-thrown pottery, and their designs are even more mysterious and mind-blowing than the best crop circles. It's a lot to take in.

This is the best pottery book I have ever found! It is layed out in an informative, and beautiful manner. Not only is the pottery exquisite, but the photographs represent the pieces at their best. It is easy to understand, and gets one passionate about an art movement, that we can actually be a part of, in this twenty-first century. It is highly unsual to be living during a time when a new art movement is going on, and still striving for it's pinnacle. We see this with the unequalled workmanship of the Matiz Ortiz people in their Casas Grandes/Matiz Ortiz pottery. I really enjoyed getting to know each potter by name and photo, coupled with seeing their work, and feeling a part of their extended family. Juan Quesada, the founder of this artistic movement, is a highly spiritual individual, generous and gifted beyond belief. He is the reason that this wonderful pottery is being shown to the world. I am an artist that does pottery, and a retired teacher. I would recommend this book to all art teachers, and anyone who appreciates great art.

I was very pleased with this book. It has a good background on Mata Ortiz pottery, but there are, of course, better ones on Juan Quezada himself. But this is not the intent of this book, but rather to list the many artists of the area. And it does this quite well.As with any paper book, it is limited in that it reflects the time it was written in. As such, it cannot keep up with newer artists.For those it does cover (and that is a lot), this book is invaluable.

The book was even better than I'd expected it to be. Beautiful pictures of the pottery and detailed writings about the potters. Excellent book! In almost new condition.The service from Goodwill of AZ was outstanding. The book order got caught between a mail change and I was afraid the book order would be lost. But Goodwill must have received the book back and re-sent the book to my current address. I was very pleased and will always buy from Goodwill whenever I get the opportunity.

We are planning a trip to the region in Mexico where Mata Ortiz pottery is made, and wanted to know more about the individual potters and the way the pottery is made. We hope to purchase some of this unique pottery and wanted to know a bit more about the distinctive patterns, dyes and shaping of the pots that are unique to Mata Ortiz. This book satisfied our many interests and answered our questions quite well. When we take our trip in November, we will have some good information to help us enjoy it all the more.

This book is next best to a trip to Mata Ortiz...and we have made numerous forays into the wonderful world of Juan Quesada/Spencer McCallum! An once of a kind story that never would have happened had not these two men's paths crossed...get the book, read the story and then go visit...you will never be the same!

I quite like this book because it featured a lot of different artists and their particular style & techniques. a close-up of their lives and their families. The book also featured a lot of photos of the best pots, interesting symbols and designs. It is a bit more recent than the other 2 books I bought. As I mentioned before, it would be nice to have a list of the young emerging artists in that village today.

Interesting, interesting book about the potter families of Mata Ortiz. If all the pottery you have seen was in a road side store in Arizona or New Mexico, you should look closely at the ollas in this book. The level of skill and detail is astounding. I have two ollas from this region now as prized possessions.