XL Sz Plate Peasant Life Tonala by José Luis Cortéz Hernández Mexican Folk Art

Description

This is an
Exquisite Extra Large Size Decorative Plate / Platter with a sweet scene of Peasants gathering Prickly Pear Fruit from Cactus....
I had this piece
custom made by
master potter
José Luis Cortéz Hernández
of Tolana,  Mexico.
It is a wonderful example of
Mexican Folk art and Ceramic traditions
from this area of Mexico.  It would make a great accent to your decor or Mexican Folk Art Collection.... This Plate was
all handmade and Painted and then given a lovely hand burnished satin finish.
It measures 12 inches in
diameter
and 1 1/4 inches deep.
"
José Luis Cortéz Hernández was presented with the “Ángel Carranza Award" at the 2013
Premio Nacional de la Ceramica
in Tlaquepaque by Presidente Enrique Peña Nieto. Along with the award, José was awarded ,000 pesos.
This award is named for Ángel Carranza Cortés, first recipient of the award, and has been awarded a total of 17 times, 13 of which have been to potters from either Tonalá or Tlaquepaque. It is given for excellence in technique, materials, design and decoration.
​
José has been working with clay half of his life. Married to Irma, he has studied with the great Salvador Vázquez Carmona and has risen to become a true master of
bruñido
(burnished) pottery.
His elegant designs and pottery forms originate from his creative imagination. When I asked him where he got his inspiration, he said, "I just feel the shape as I work with the clay."
​
Where does he get his clay? Near Tonalá lie deposits of black, white and red clay with varying proportions of silica. He pays a fee to extract great chunks of clay from this area. Once home, the chunks are broken up, ground into a powder and then sifted to removed impurities. Next water is added and the clay begins to "ferment" covered with plastic and set aside for several months.
​
Smoothed with stones after drying, a slip of pigment is applied to seal the pores of the clay as well as provide a background color. The paints are made by mixing clays and adding earth pigments.
​
After the slip has dried and the paints are mixed, the decoration (
palmeado
) is ready to begin. With an ensemble of brushes, some of animal hair, he begins with great skill painting the designs he is so well known for. The final burnishing may take a very long time in that the colors must be fixed well on the pot so they do not fade during the firing."
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