This Mexican potter was born May 6, in 1940, in Chihuahua. Juan Quezada Celado was born into a poor family in the tiny village of Tutuaca, later relocating to nearby Mata Ortiz. Quezada did not like school, instead preferred to draw and paint, and refused a scholarship to art school. Instead he worked the railroad to help support his family. He is known for the similarities of his work to the Mimbres and Casa Grandes** pottery, which he discovered in caves and alcoves in the mountainous region surrounding his home. He collected the examples to study and eventually worked out how to create them himself, even discovering the use of human hair produced brushes for the finest lines. After his work was discovered by Spencer MacCallum in a shop in Deming, New Mexico, on the Mexican border, he began a business with the anthropologist. Quezada taught his art and technique to family and friends and the community of Mata Ortiz which became successfully known for this style of pottery.
The pots are created using the coil method. they are painted with a slip (liquefied clay) and then burnished with a stone, allowing for a more fine line in the decoration. Then the wares are fired in a saggar with cow manure, creating a smoky effect. Finally they are decorated with the designs and symbols for which he is known. He creates varied shapes and sizes. Unlike the horizontal decorations of the ancient pottery, Quezada has developed a diagonal overlap of designs which suggest movement on the pieces.
Although he has achieved international fame and recognition and his work sells for thousands of dollars, he continues to live a rural existence on a ranch in Northern Mexico. He has eight children, most of whom are in the business with him.
** Casa Grandes: (also known as Paquime) The prehistoric indigenous Mogollon culture from the area neat Chihuahua, Mexico.
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