Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Post-Colombian Pots

Evangelina is originally from El Salvador which means that usually once a year we get to travel down there and enjoy the beaches and the hospitality of her extended family...and just about the entire nation as well.  It's definitely a place I probably never would have visited if it wasn't for meeting....and marrying Evangelina.  

On one of our trips, about 5 years ago, we took a trip over to the Mayan ruins at Copan in Honduras.  It was a great trip of which a good deal of it was on the back of my father-in-law's motorcycle.  It was actually on that trip on some switchback somewhere in Guatemala that I decided it was time to take a MSF course and get my motorcycle license.  When I took the course and mentioned the trip on a motorcycle throughout Central America the teacher looked at me and said, "Aren't you a little big to be riding on the back of the bike?"  Needless to say....next time down to El Salvador I had my license and we did most of the traveling was on motorcycles....my own motorcyle, borrowed from Evangelina's Tio Benjamin.  It felt a little more natural...and slightly less humiliating than holding onto my father-in-law during the ascent up mountains in Guatemala.

Wow...lots of tangental thinking going on tonight...I guess I'm tired.

On that trip to Copan in the little museum shop at the ruins they had a collection of pottery from a variety of villages.  Some were replicas of Mayan pottery but this one caught the eye of both Evangelina and myself.  We brought this and one other pot home with us.  I'm not sure where in Honduras it was made.  If anyone has any clues do let me know.  I love the mix of traditional methods and the sort of contemporary yet incredibly ageless designs on it.  

I have never actually mimicked the design of one of my pieces.  I've definitely referenced it in my work...it ranks right up there with Mimbres pots as far as geometric design motifs that stick in my head.  I finally decided to try it out on one of my wobbly vases using the wax/slip/sponge technique that I used with my earthenware.  It will probably find it's way onto one of my large platters once they're trimmed.

Alright...have a look below.  I'm off to cover some pots and then to bed so I'll stop rambling.  




3 comments:

brandon phillips said...

that might be one of the best wobbly vases i've seen thus far. i like it.

come on, 85? i have to change shirts after wedging clay, down here if you can keep it under 100 you're good to go. mostly kidding of course.

Ron said...

Hey Keith, I like that bottle and your wobbly vase. That deco works on it. Hope to see those pitchers once you get them handled.

Jen Mecca said...

Wow..that's cool about your travels. Your a lucky man. Cool bottles and squared off vases. Jen