Ch 12 #1: Maria and Julian Martinez Blackware vs. Magdalene Odundo Burnished terracotta

There are many different Techniques in the art of ceramics. When you change your method just slightly, the outcome can change sometimes drastically. These simple variations such as molding, pinching, rolling, or coiling can invoke very different feelings. 

The way that María Montoya Martínez made her piece is what is called coiling. A coil pot is made by forming long coils of clay and slowly shaping the container to the desired form. Most of the time the rigid texture from the coils can be smoothed to produce a uniform texture. Maria became a famous Pueblo potter because of this simple coil pot technique. The Blackware she created in 1939 is very symmetrical and almost looks as if it were made on a throwing wheel. The perfection in her coil pots and glazing process through her unique finishing techniques made Maria Martinez one of the more famous potters of her generation. Julian Martínez used yucca-frond brushes to paint the designs on with slip producing a dull exterior that makes a faint contrast with the highly polished areas. This look is difficult to see from a distance but when approached the details in the work show. 

Magdalene Odundo grew up in Kenya but settled in Britain.  She training as a graphic designer before turning to ceramics. Odundo's was mostly known for her use of the throwing wheel. However,  by hand she created also using coiling technique. Most of her work was left unglazed and each piece is burnished, covered with slip, and then burnished again. The pieces are fired in an oxidizing atmosphere which creates a red-orange finish. A second firing in an oxygen-poor atmosphere causes the clay to turn black. This firing technique is known as reduction-firing. Many of the vessels she creates are reminiscent of the human form. For example, they resembled the curves of the spine, stomach, or hair. Odundo's ceramics have a universal appeal that can move all cultures and walks of life. Her work may be found in museum collections worldwide.

I Prefer Maria and Julian Martinez’s vase with their contrast between glassy and flat black. Plus, I appreciate the unusual silhouette of the vessel that makes this pot so visually exciting. The painted designs, while abstract, nevertheless suggest certain natural forms and relate harmoniously to the proportions and overall style of the jar. I am not a fan of the abstact pottery shown by Odundo.