From Mata Ortiz to New York

Craftsmanship elevated to art.

The second generation of potters of Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua saw their parent’s abandoned the rural labour to work with clay. Now this youngters win nacional awards, but their story began with the encounter of two men: that of the American archeologist Spencer MacCallum with Juan Quezada, a man who used to live from selling burritos.

It's a small location where pottery considered an icon of the popular Mexican culture is produced. Their vocation with pottery is relatively new, but even then the second generation of potters works with contemporary forms. The hand of the potter work diligent following the instructions they have learned. Little by little, what used to be clay becomes pottery. It's every piece what marks the road, and suddenly a novel trim appear. The creators develop the forms their masters inherited them.

See to believe. The town is a few miles from Paquimé, an archeological site, which was home to the homonymous culture, which were characterized for their technological and artistic advances. Their buildings are some sort of clay labyrinths which in reality were houses. The Paquimés also sheltered in caves, and it was in one of them in which Juan found some pottery so beautiful, he decided to replicate them. For more than a year, Spencer paid Juan a salary so he could perfect his technique and when he finished 85 pieces, they left to travel around the US visiting different museums. Today, this form of expression is considered by el Fondo Nacional para el Fomento de las Artesanías as an icon of the popular Mexican culture, and a simple pot can cost around a thousand dollars.

“I believe the pottery are an inheritance left to us by the Paquimés, and came when our people where in deplorable conditions", said Juan.

Mata Ortiz Grupo 7. The work of Diego Valles (30 years old) is simple; it's there its beauty radiates. A piece is completely white and two cuts on its side make it abstract; another one simulates a vivid flame. Since he was eight years old, Diego felt he needed to work with pottery but never took it seriously. He studied high school in la Colonia Juarez, a Mormon town having a strong contrast with Mata Ortiz, a rural town, due to its architecture making you think you are walking through some street in the US. When he graduated from engineering, he saw himself in a big dilemma, whether he followed with his career or started working with pottery. The decision he made paid its toll in 2010 when he won el Premio Nacional de la Juventud.

“A few people didn't understand why I went back to pottery if I had studied engineering, pottery is not a step back to me, and any job in a company couldn't give me any more satisfaction then to work with pottery and the art".

His wife, Karla Martinez (29 years old) is also a potter. She works with miniatures, and usually adheres a precious stone to her creations, representing one of the other innovations.

The vocation wasn't the only aspect they learned from Quezada, but also the social sense. They created the organization Mata Ortiz Grupo 7, with the purpose to boost the potential of youngsters. Every member donates a pot, and the money received from selling them is used for scholarships for students of the Universidad de Mata Ortiz.

One of the other members is Hector Gallegos (31 years old). His work is characterized for using colors such as black, red, and some details in green and yellow. “I began painting insects, obviously none ended up looking right, and so my mother had to help me. I like animals, but it's not like I paint giraffes or animals of that sort, I paint what we find here; deer, wild boars, bears, coyotes, etc". Hector is married to Laura Bugarini (32 years old). Her creativity helped consolidate her personal brand, the "estilo Bugarini": pots decorated with circular bands, and quite elaborate details. Laura is one of the creators with most recognition in Mata Ortiz, her most recent award was in 2011, first place in the category of esgrafiado in the Concurso de Ceramica de Mata Ortiz.

Popularity abroad. Sadly these youngsters are not seemed as pioneers in their own land: "It's sad that our work is more known and valued in the US. It's difficult that only certain people value all that is behind a single pot", said Laura.

The pieces from this region are elaborated with the clay potters get from the mountains. The potters don't use a turning wheel; pots are shaped by hand, and then polished. The brushes are made from natural hair, and the paint is made from the clay they use. When the pot has been painted, it's burned so it cooks; this is one of the most delicate steps in the process since it is possible for it to crack. The traditional colors are black, red and the motifs used are called mimbres y paquimé.

Elías Peña is a representative working so the pottery from Mata Ortiz can be seen as an expression of contemporary art, in fact, 2008 was the year he won the award for contemporary art in the Premio Nacional de la Cerámica de Tlaquepaque. "I put my pot in a little box, then I took a bus, it took almost 18 hours from here to Tlaquepaque. The bus stopped a few times and I had to go to the restroom, so I took my little box with me every time, or it could be stolen. Once in Tlaquepaque, the other potters couldn't believe it, they said: - You come here with a single piece, I came with a truck load of them, then you won, and I go home with nothing-".

The sponsors also change. Elías Peña knocked on the door of the gallery of Mayte Lujan. Since he is a shy guy and had a pot between his hands, with his hands he indicated her to evaluate his pot. The knowledgeable eye of the artist immediately recognized the talent Elías had, so she continued on guiding him.

The second generation of potters find in the gallery of Mayte a place to exhibit and sell their creations. Conscious of the needs of the collectors, she decided to open the Hotel Las Guacamayas, in front of the archeological site. It has been built with the same techniques the ruins were built. Also, the owner is a certified tour guide, which means that she can recommend the best sites to visitors and take them to the potters’ workshops. In her gallery, pieces for the most demanding buyer stand out from those more accessible to the buyer who just wants a souvenir.

Talkative and enthusiastic, Mayte walks shoulder by shoulder with the potters to keep consolidating this form of expression, but also emotionally wait for the work that surely will emerge from the hand of the third generation of potters from Mata Ortiz.

A fantastic journey. To travel in the surrounding of Casas Grandes in to find yourself with mountains, and a spectacle where the colour of the sand outstands everything else. Near to Mata Ortiz is the Valle de las Cuevas, in which stands out the Cueva de la Olla, a cliff where houses from the Paquimés persist, and a structure that used to serve to store grain, its form is quite peculiar because it is identical to that of a pot. The Cueva Del Corral is the second more accessible; it is surprising the condition in which the houses stand even to this day. 

ANNA DELLO RUSSO

EDITOR-AT-LARGE; CREATIVE CONSULTANT,  VOGUE JAPAN. NEW YORK

Josh Beech

                                                                             Joshua Beech

Born in Biggin Hill, London. Passionate about music from a very early age, he started playing keyboard at 10 and guitar at 13. After school, he became an apprentice at Tanglewood- a British company famous for its state-of-the art acoustic guitars. He later enrolled in a Music Technology course at London's Hammersmith College. Josh started to sing at 16, because he "didn't know anyone else who could sing and wanted to start a band'. 

He was scouted by Sherrill Smith at a festival in Shoreditch in late 2007. The first booking was for Burberry. Simultaneous bookings by Dazed & Confused, Vogue Hommes International shot by Hedi Slimane and Levi's 501 Jeans - for which Josh shot a record 3rd consecutive campaign - consolidated his reputation. Other clients include Moschino, Tommy Hilfiger, Valentino, Vivienne Westwood, Fujiwara, Diesel, Thierry Mugler, Paul Smith, All Saints and Topman, amongst others. Despite worldwide fame, music remains Josh's main focus, with his new single and album due out soon www.beechmusic.com

Frida Forever

Frida Kahlo, Limited Edition. 

MontBlanc adds to their limited edition collections one with 100% Mexican inspiration. It´s the collection dedicated to the Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo, every detail reflects the personality of the artist: the blue represents the colour of her house in Coyoacan; the red heart, a motif frecuently used in her work; the shape of the clip pretends to represent her distinctive eyebrows..... Only 70 pens were made, the same number of pages her dairy had. 

The art of the appetizer

1. Follow the foolproof of five, which calls for a menu of five types of appetizers:

• One heavy (so that guests who skip dinner will feel satisfied).
• One heavy or medium (choose a heavy one if you expect your party to go long).
• One medium (typically a vegetarian dish or a dip).
• One lighter choice (such as crudités for nibbing).
• One bowl item (such as nuts or olives).

2. For an accurate head count to help your plan properly, provide an e-mail address with your invitation, along with your phone number. You can nudge the shirkers with a gentle e-mail meminder as the date draws near without being ill-mannered yourself ("We're just finalizing the guest list and are sooo hoping that you'll be there").

To determine how much to prepare, follow this guide:
Heavy appetizer > 4-5 pieces per guest.
Heavy/medium > 4-5 pieces per guest.
Medium . 4-5 pieces per guest.
Light > 5-6 pieces per guest.
Bowl foods > place 1 bowl for every 7-8 guests and keep them filled.

3. For a sense of elegance in your rooms, take a look at your lights. Keeping the lighting at a twilight level encourages easy mingling and conversation. Consider exaching 100-watt bulbs for 40-watt bulaba, and add candles throughout (though avoid scented ones because they can interfere with the fragance and flavour of the food).

4. A smart way to chill Champagne or wine, if you don't have enough room in your fridge, is to use the multi-ice bucket method. Place a bittle in each bucket and add as many ice cubes as will fit. Place the buckets on counters and they'll be ready to go when guests arrive.

5. Run out of food? It's a compliment to your cooking! All you need is a backup dessert item, such as bunches of grapes, chocolates or after-dinner mints. Remove all serving trays as if to signal the end of the hors d-oeuvres portion of the evening, then put out the dessert platter. The trick is to act as though this is all part of your master plan.

Create Beautiful Containers

                                                    Create Beautiful Containers

                     TIPS FOR SUCCESS
:

1. Don't fill a large pot entirely with soil.
 Big pots full of potting mix are heavy and water tends to stagnate in the bottom, which most plants don't like. Keep things light and draining properly by using a pot insert. Or, if you are on a budget, you can use crumpled plastic bottles.

2. Use pot feet of some sort.
 Pots sitting right on your balcony, deck or patio cause rot, uneven fading, ugly stains and poor drainage. Check out pot pads. They're completely hidden underneath the pot but raise things up off the ground.

3. Color coordinate your plants.
Just like you probably shouldn't wear a wild top with loud bottoms, you want to have a nice mix of show stopper plants and the supporting cast.

4. Use dwarf versions of your favorite plants to create the illusion of a grand scale.
5. Use edibles and flowers together.
 Edibles are all the rage right now, and when you treat them as an ornamental plant instead of a fussy edible that has to be grown in evenly spaced rows, they can give your container garden a whismical, cool vibe without looking like you're trying too hard.

Goodman House

                                                                    Goodman House

                                                               Pine Planes, NY, USA.

Goodman House contains a tranported and reerected Dutch barn frame. The client's affection for the antiquated timber combined with their desire for an excessivly lit and predominantly undivided interior did not allow for the reintroduction of the mazzanines and partitions that typically stabilize barn structures from within. Therefore, lateral structural stability has been reintroduced by a steel frame surrounding the barn. A curtain wall, with irregularly destributed windows, wraps the peripheral steel frame. The modernist paradigm of construction is more fiting to a commercial building that to a house.