(from Gordon Campbell, Mayan pot, from El Salvador)
The dishes were filthy but at least the cat box was clean, when David Makar stopped in just now. David is one of the friendliest guys on earth, welcome any time even if the cat box hasn't been cleaned yet. Before we moved to Ithaca, we read his blog, and upon arrival he helped me find galleries and helped my wife find work. Yep, most generous and helpful dude, the coffee pot is always warm for David.
Sadly Gordo lives about three hours north in Ontario, but he is the same sort of fellow, and Gordo, if you are ever wandering around central NY lost, our door is open. Come around even if you aren't lost. The point being, many many many great people have connected to us first through blogs.
Alright, Gordo and his wife Bridget (who is the youngest of 13 kids which I find impressive) went to El Salvador and had a wicked good time and took a boatload of great pix. Including numerous pottery shots. Pre-Columbian pottery is unique in the world for its beauty. It held a sacred place in people's lives hundreds of years ago, and was a fairly low-tech process. Clay was dug, and pots formed without much in the way of tools other than hands. No wheels, just sticks and stones to form pieces, then fired in a way that reminds a person of boy scouts and hot dogs. Looking at this piece and others from around the Americas you are impressed with the skill, and also the importance of animals. Whether drawn or sculpted onto a piece, animal representation on pots is older than the hills. So, no, I am not the first person to put pigs on pots, it is something humanity has enjoyed since civilization began.
4 comments:
Invitations flow both ways, Gary. We're planning to turn our spare bedroom into a combination exercise room/crash pad for guests over the break, so there's always space for friends. And their dogs. :-)
I LOVED the pottery. Bridget collects masks in our travels, so she picked upa really nice one there. I'll take a pic in teh next day or so and post it for you.
I mean, look at the craftsmanship there. With only hands to make it and wood (and maybe dung) to fire it.
What kind of mask? Wood, something else?
This mask is pottery ... Gorgeous stuff. I can't imagine the skill involved. The pieces we saw were all gorgeous.
Now that is interesting. I would like to see that item.
The vase/jar here might be what, a jaguar, a reptile or my I on the wrong track? You can see the fire marks from the pit firing.
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