Carved Tattooed Pottery

I worked on this piece below tonight.  I like this carved design on a black under glaze called "speedball".  It is a good under glaze but you have to use the speedball clear glaze that goes over it when you fire it to cone 06. Otherwise the glaze will peal/chip off.  I learned that from a piece that I did a coupe weeks ago (below to right).  I must have spent about 4 hours on this black and white piece and fired it with a Mayco clear glaze and the glaze just chipped off.  I could not fire it again because the black under glaze chipped off with the laze... It SUCKED!  Anyway I did get a good picture out of it.  It is on the home page right now.  I will include the finished picture of this one when I am done with it in about 2 weeks or so.  Check back and also let me know your thoughts on this style.  I want to know what people would classify this piece of pottery as?  Is it Mexican/Indian/Contemprary, what do you think it looks like?  Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks, Matt

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Juan Quesada

Juan Quesada is a great artist!  Juan has such an inspirational story and is a great man.  I first saw Juan in person in Riverside California about 10 years ago.  He was doing a exhibition at the Riverside Art Museum.  He signed his book for me and I watched him do a art exhibition of how he makes his pottery by hand (no wheel involved). He is an awesome potter and has actually passed on the art to his whole village!  I totally recommend the book and his art of course. I have found and included some of my favorite pictures below. I will try and add some more of his art and the other artists in the village as well. They are all really great potters.

When I watched him do it, he used a plaster mold (small) round mold and used clay he dug from the side of the  mountain where he lived!  He did not use a kiln, he used cow shit and fire to fire his pieces!  This "old school" with a contemporary art form with the colorful painting and great form to each piece.  It was something I will never forget.

Juan I could tell was a happy man and actually very social because of the fact that he taught his whole village in Mexico how to do pottery.  I have seen a lot of there work on Ebay and other sites on the net.  It is funny though when I Googled him he does not have a website (I think). If he wants one I would be glad to do one for him... He was very nice and I think he is a great man and a wonderful artist.

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