Salvador Vazquez Carmona was born in 1933 in Tonala on the outskirts of Guadalajara, Jalisco. He is a famous and well-respected Mexican Potter. He started learning clay smoothing techniques known as “Brunido” from his mother at age 6. Salvador studied under some of Mexico’s most notable craftsmen during his lifetime. His work is featured in museums and galleries around the world. He has won awards for his work such as the 1999 national presidential award in ceramics. These awards helped Salvador cement himself as one of Mexico’s master artists. He is featured in the “Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art”.
Salvador furthered his studies under Jorge Wilmot, Wilmot was also from Tonala and a master potter in his own right. Salvador studied under Jorge for over 20 years, improving and growing his abilities while gaining a better understanding of what goes into these intricate pieces. He eventually developed his own ceramic style and even mixed his own paint. He produced traditional styles but dabbled into new styles and shapes of pottery as well as the all the extra details to make them exceptionally unique. After his studies with Wilmot, Salvador opened his own workshop in Tonala, Jalisco where he works with his family to this day. Salvador’s shop is open to the public. There visitors can see firsthand what goes into his creative process. It is one of the only places you can purchase his pieces.
Salvador, like others near Tonala, buys his clay locally. The clay he collects can consist of red, black or white clay with varying proportions of silica. To create the malleable clay, he takes the chunks and places them all in buckets or other vessels with some water. From there he covers the mixture with plastic to keep in moisture while the clay softens. Once the clay is soft and usable it is molded into plates, vases, figurines, and other clay works.
Salvador at times uses a mold to create the base of a piece, but all the painting, burnishing and little details added to it are done by hand. The paint he uses is a mix of clay slip and earth pigments. Materials used in his earth pigments range from plants to cochineal which is a parasite that when squished can give off color and that acid can be manipulated by other elements to create different shades he needs. The most important tools in his craft are the river rocks he uses to smooth his pieces. Salvador has even made some of his own stones so that he is able to apply the burnishing finish in the manner he prefers. Some of his stones are tipped with pyrite to achieve different levels of shine.
As Salvador aged, he turned to other creative outlets such as painting. He likes to paint birds, flowers and other fun creatures with bright color combinations. Salvador’s legacy lives on through his grandson and other great potters he has mentored one being his late son Arnulfo Vazquez. Arnulfo Vazquez Rodriguez worked under his father from the time he was very young. He made a name for himself in the burnished pottery community before his passing and is still considered one of the best brunido artists in Tonala. He received recognition for his work just like his father.
Luis Cortez is another renowned Mexican potter mentored by Salvador Vazquez. He worked under Salvador for 7 years starting in 1983. After his time with Vazquez, he went on to open a workshop with his wife Irma and win the Mexican 2013 National Grand Prize in ceramics. Salvador Vazquez is a master amongst masters and will continue to inspire up and coming artists so that the brunido clay tradition lives on.
Image by: Cosas Online
Image by: Cosas Online