Tony mindling on sat 21 sep 02
Oaxacan Clay: Monday, Day 2
A 45 minute drive takes us back 500 years. Farewell city, stoplights, =
traffic. Buildings become hills, fields, rows of corn and give way to =
the open Oaxaca valley edged in by the 9,000 foot tall peaks of the =
Sierra Norte. The smaller hills that dot the valley floor wear as hats =
ancient pyramids built by the Zapotecs 1,500 years ago to worship the =
sun and moon and rain. The Zapotecs are still here, out there in the =
fields behind the ox-drawn plow, behind the wheel of the passenger bus =
barreling down the road, in the village where we are headed. Gone are =
their old priests who administered those pyramid-shaped temples
A dusty road through iron ochre fields delivers us to San Marcos, land =
of red-burnished pots, red stone church, red brick houses, corn farmers =
and potters. We step into the courtyard, and are greeted by the smell of =
woodsmoke, oxen, clear sunlight, clay, humanity. The voices are Zapotec, =
the year is 2002, but it may be 1502
We meet our masters. They take us to the red fields to dig for the =
piedmont clay under the top soil. They are women wearing long black =
braids intertwined with purple and yellow ribbons. Their faces are not =
European. They wear green velvet dresses and plastic shoes. As if it =
were a toothpick they take the iron digging bar and break off large =
nuggets of clay as if it were chocolate. We are eager to try this and we =
race each other for blisters. Without breaking a sweat they loosen 10 =
pounds of clay from the earth. Our faces are red with exertion as we =
shake loose breadcrumbs. It is our first lesson: In a tradition free of =
large tools and devices, technique is everything. I will tell you they =
have more practice (a lot). Perhaps this will help you feel better about =
your half pound of clay and blisters
We will turn these clods into clay over the week. Back in the cool =
workroom they have prepared us clay to work with. We settle in to see =
how it is done. It is clay, they use their hands, the result is a lovely =
pot- but how they got it from clay to pot...this is Greek. Or Zapotec. =
Today begins our lesson in being bilingual-handed. The good news is, be =
you professional or weekend potter, here we are all on an even playing =
field. That's the bad news too. This is very different and not as easy =
as painting by numbers
Those who can, tell their hands to forget, for a moment, what they know =
about a wheel, about smooth Rod's Bod clay or porceline, about coil =
building and slab rollers. . .Those who can watch what the master does =
with keen and open eyes. . .theirs will be the pots that don't look like =
Halloween pumpkins in December. Truth is, nobody's pots will look =
anything but perfect. Your teacher will assure that, even if it means =
she has to mend it a hundred times. Which she may. And they aren't pots, =
but bowls. Pots are for second year students. Today we will form our =
bowl. Perhaps three. We will hear the quite of the corn cob scraping the =
coarse clay, the turkeys boasting in the courtyard, the giggle of the =
grandmother as she merrily stops in to see what is happening, the groan =
of your neighbor as she sticks a finger through her bowl, and all of our =
laughter as we get used to this strange clayway and these rich and =
strange surroundings.=20
For more information drop Eric a line- rayeric@RNET.com.mx, or take a =
sneak preview at www.manos-de-oaxaca.com.
Session 1- Feb 2-10, 2003
Session 2-March 16-24, 2003
Nine-day Workshop cost is $1,150 with 7-8 participants. Cost is $1,380 =
with 5-6 participants.=20
This price includes workshop fee, museum entrance, all materials, hotel =
Sun.-Mon night, most meals, Oaxacan transport in private van, maximum =
group size of eight with two guides and two instructors.=20
Short Course-December 15-21, 2002
Six-day Workshop cost is $890 with 7-8 participants. Cost is $1,085 with =
5-6 participants.=20
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