Nicolas Ortiz

Mata Ortiz

Nicolas Silveira Ortiz is a potter working in Mata Ortiz. He seems to specialize in intricate carved and painted figures. He is a sculptor first and a painter second. His effigy pots are close to true form and fantastically painted with Paquimé and Mimbres designs. He learned the basics from his younger brother Macario and from hanging out at Felix Ortiz' house in the late 1970s. Since then he has become rather famous for his zoomorphic effigies: eagles, rabbits, javelina, snakes, mice and desert tortoises.