Ismael Flores

Mata Ortiz

Ismael Flores Ledezma and his wife, Maria Loya de Flores, are a husband-and-wife team of potters in the village of Mata Ortiz. He learned the traditional art from Manuel Rodriguez, his cousin, in the late 1980s.

Today, Maria builds, sands and polishes their pots while Ismael paints and fires them. Their early creations were often painted in the cuadrillo (four-direction) style, then they progressed to a more open and flowing style with designs that stretch across the whole of their pots with plenty of open space between, kind of like the Quezada style. Primarily, they make pots, bowls and wedding vases.