Eli Ortiz: Black on Black Mata Ortiz Pottery mata ortiz a goat in cleats holding

a goat in cleats holding a ball is good company to have on the shelf

add to its endearing look

This joyful patchwork dog by Oscar Carrillo looks ready to wag its tail straight into a fiesta

The beautifully carved dorsal crest is painted in gradated hues of orange and golden yellow

Several Saint Benedict medals hang from the garment

Eli Ortiz: Black on Black Mata Ortiz Pottery mata ortiz a goat in cleats holdingEli Ortiz keeps the Ortiz tradition alive in black. He is the son of the late Eduardo "Chevo" Ortiz, one of Mata Ortiz's most celebrated potters, and this piece carries that lineage directly. The graphite black on black technique that defines this olla traces back to the Ortiz family itself. Chevo's brother Macario discovered that graphite left on a pot's surface before firing retained its silvery sheen afterward, and what began as an accidental