| Angela Corona | ||
| Birth Date: October 3, 1983 |
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Artist Gallery |
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| Angela Corona was born on October 3, 1983, lives in Mata Ortiz, Mexico. Her full name is Maria de Los Angeles Corona Guillen, but she usually signs her work as Angela Corona. The Corona family is a well-known family of potters, favorites in Mata Ortiz for the affordability of their well crafted pottery. Angela Corona started potting at age 15, her primary teacher being her grandfather, Guadalupe Corona. She typically forms and paints her own work, but she buys her paint from others and uses an electric kiln to fire her pieces in, a contrast from the typical Mata Ortiz pottery which is fired in the ground, without a wheel. Angela favors the sgraffito technique, and her favorite subjects are animals. She is married to well-known potter Oscar Ramirez, notable because they work on their pieces together in their home. Angela married Oscar when she was nineteen and taught him the art of Mata Ortiz pottery. They are teaching their children the art of Mata Ortiz pottery as well.
Mata Ortiz is a small pottery village in Mexico where a variety of talented artists helped to revitalize the local economy with their specialized skills. The Mata Ortiz method is derived from the old world methods utilized from a nearby ancient pueblo - the Casas Grandes prehistoric archeological ruin - where this particular style of pottery originated, yet Mata Ortiz pottery has developed a distinctive artistic style all its own. The method used to craft Mata Ortiz pottery is called coil and scrape, or the tortilla method. This method solely utilizes only the artist's hands, free of a pottery wheel. The clay used to form these pots is hand-dug and formed into long pieces called coils. They are then laid atop one another to shape the pot. The coils are blended together and once dry, the pot is sanded several times to create a smooth, consistent surface that will allow for very fine painting. The artist will then handpaint, fire, and wash the pot. Painting is done with brushes composed of human hair and the intricate etching is completed using common nails.
In Mata Ortiz, more than 300 of the approximately 2,000 villagers were working potters. Widespread appreciation of the Mata Ortiz potters led to higher prices for their work. Owners of Mata Ortiz pottery include many Mexican dignitaries, the Pope, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and Texas First Lady Laura Bush. There is a small, family run inn close to Angela's section of Mata Ortiz where Angela would bring her pottery to sell. Everyone in town would know when someone arrived at the inn, so tourists were able to meet a lot of artists. Sadly, tourism today is down significantly, with some potters moving away and no longer producing pottery. |
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