Martinez, Gabriela Perez de

Gabriela Perez de Martinez was born in 1983. About 20 years later she met and fell in love with Hector Javier Martinez. At the time he was doing scattered odd jobs around Mata Ortiz as a car mechanic and gardener, trying to make ends meet. He also spent most of his spare time trying to figure out how to make pottery the Mata Ortiz way.

Their first son (Gabriel) was born before Javier got it right, then his pottery business took off about the same time Hector Javier Jr. (their second son) was born.

Gabriela got involved and learned the whole process from Javier because he just couldn’t keep up with demand. At the same time, she brought a feminine touch to his work. In this time of increased competition and knock-offs, that feminine touch is rewarding them with new designs that showcase the best that both Gabriela and Javier bring to their craft.

Gabriela says she has been making pottery for about 10 years since she learned from her husband. It’s Gabriela who adds the sgraffito butterfly, flower, vine and curlicue designs to their pieces. She also fills in some of the fine details for Javier.

Gabriella told us she gets her inspiration from Nature, and while Javier says he’d like another son, Gabriela assures us that the four boys they have now is more than enough.