Lopez, Baudel

From the village of Mata Ortiz in northern Mexico, Baudel Lopez and his wife, Soralla Acosta, have become well-known for their sophisticated creations. They usually apply a brown slip over a blank tan pot and polish that slip to a high sheen. Then various Paquimé Revival geometric, sherd and free-flowing designs are painted on using a black mineral pigment. Taking care to not smudge the black paint, Soralla then carves geometric patterns through the brown slip into the tan clay. The resulting product is soft, warm and very appealing.

Baudel said he began working with clay in the early 1990s and has since taught the traditional art to all his older brothers. He says he learned by watching others but he doesn’t point to any one person as his teacher.

The 1992 drought in Chihuahua was so bad the family’s cattle were dying and couldn’t be sold to support them. Times were hard but the income from Baudel’s pottery helped all his family through the drought.