Skilled Artisan's
Dexterity and the Making of Talavera
Talavera making is a long and laborious process undertaken by skillful Mexican artisans.
The first step is to obtain the appropriate clay to be transformed into a desired form.
Scroll
down to learn about the making of talavera.....
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Once the
clay is obtained, it is grinned and placed in containers,
or piletas, to be soaked in water. It is left here
for several days until it acquires the consistency to be kneaded
by hand or feet. |
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A lump of clay is transformed into a desired shape manually on a potters wheel or with a mold and then left to dry for several days.
In
the case of tiles, the lump of clay is rolled and cut in blocks soon
to be glazed tiles.
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The
clay blocks are left in closed dark rooms for drying for a
few days.
Large
pieces take a longer time to dry. For example, ginger jars
are left in dark rooms for six to eight weeks. |
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After
the tiles are left for some days in the dark they are taken
out to dry under the sunlight. |
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Tiles
and pottery pieces are fired in wood kilns that will form
them as bisque or jaguete. |
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Tiles
bisques are ready for glazing. |
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Pottery
or tiles bisques are dipped into a chalky liquid glaze, which
gives them their unique shine and color. Victor, pictured
here, is an expert in tile glazing formulas and tile painting. |
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All
our talavera pottery and tiles are freehand painted, consequently,
no two pieces will be the same. The beauty of talavera lies
on its individuality. |
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Here
we can see the difference before and after firing of the Murcielago
talavera tile. You can notice the brilliant colors of the Murcielago
tile that come to life after a long production process that
takes at least six weeks to complete. |
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The
painter painstakingly freehand decorates the piece. An understanding
of the based mineral color complexities is essential, as the
colors of the raw glazes used are different from the colors
that are finally produced. Here Miguel expresses his artistic
talent by painstakingly painting an Archangel on this ginger
jar. |
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Rows
of tiles are ready for the second firing in a gas kiln. |
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Finally,
the piece is fired again, at temperatures of approximately
1000° C. Brilliance and final coloration are determined by
the temperature and kiln time. On this picture, ginger jars
an pots are placed in the gas kiln for the last firing. |
