Ortega, Naty

Natividad Naty Ortega is a potter from the village of Mata Ortiz in northern Mexico. He often collaborates with his son, Cesar Dominguez Nunez. Naty makes the glossy black jars that Cesar paints brightly-colored geometric and Paquimé Revival designs on.

The black of the pottery is achieved through oxygen-reduction firing. The brilliant colors Cesar paints with are derived from very finely crushed local minerals.