Leonel Lopez Sr.

Mata Ortiz

Leonel Lopez Saenz is a potter from the village of Mata Ortiz. He used to be a farmer, working fields in the area. Then the extended drought in the early 1990s ended that. So he began working with his wife, Elena Rodriguez de Lopez, sanding her pots at first but eventually learning the entire process, the same way she had learned it from Manolo Rodriguez, her younger brother. Leonel got so good at it he became one of the most successful potters in Mata Ortiz and now has people copying his signature style.

It was Oscar Rodriguez who inspired Leonel to go into sgraffito designs. Leonel will often apply slips to a dried clay body using three or four different colors, then begin his sgraffito process with a dental pick to produce his design. The colors revealed in a scratch depend on the depth of the scratch.

Leonel incorporates design elements like fish, birds, wildlife and intricate forest and desert landscapes. He also uses geometric designs, Day of the Dead motifs and Nativity scenes on some of his pieces.

Sgraffito frog design on a polychrome jar
Polychrome jar with sgraffito frog design
6 in H by 6.75 in Dia
Measurement includes stand
Sgraffito frog, turtle and geometric designs on a red and buff jar
Red and buff jar decorated with sgraffito turtle, frog and geometric designs
7 in H by 6 in Dia
Measurement includes stand
Sgraffito grasshopper design on a green and white jar
Green and white jar with a sgraffito grasshopper design
7.25 in H by 6.75 in Dia
Measurement includes stand
Sgraffito and painted medallion, fish, feather and geometric design on a polychrome jar
Polychrome jar decorated with a sgraffito and painted medallion, fish, feather and geometric design
Sgraffito fish and geometric design on a green on beige jar
Green on beige jar decorated with a sgraffito fish and geometric design
7 in H by 6.25 in Dia
Measurement includes stand
Sgraffito lizard and net design on a red jar
Red jar decorated with a sgraffito lizard and net design
6 in H by 6.5 in Dia
Sgraffito lizard and web design on a red jar
Red jar decorated with a sgraffito lizard and web design
12 in H by 9.5 in Dia
Measurement includes stand
Sgraffito fish and geometric design on a brown jar
Brown jar decorated with sgraffito fish and geometric design
12 in H by 9 in Dia
Measurement includes stand
Sgraffito Day of the Dead motif on a red and white jar
Red and white jar decorated with a sgraffito Day of the Dead motif
10.5 in H by 8.25 in Dia
Measurement includes stand
Sgraffito lizard, clamshell and geometric design on a red and white jar
Red and white jar decorated with a sgraffito clamshell, lizard and geometric design
4.5 in H by 3.75 in Dia
Measurement includes stand
Sgraffito fish and geometric design on a red and black jar
Red and black jar decorated with a sgraffito fish and geometric design
6.25 in H by 6 in Dia
Measurement includes stand
Sgraffito lizard and mesh geometric design on a red and white jar
Red and white jar decorated with a sgraffito lizard and mesh geometric design
3.5 in H by 4 in Dia
Sgraffito leaf and branch design on a green and white jar
Green and white jar decorated with a sgraffito branch and leaf design
8.5 in H by 8.25 in Dia
Measurement includes stand
Green and white jar with sgraffito lizard and mesh design Sgraffito lizard and mesh design on a green and white jar
5 in H by 4.75 in Dia
Measurement includes stand
Red and white jar with sgraffito fish and mesh design Red and white jar decorated with a sgraffito fish and geometric design
7.25 in H by 6.5 in Dia
Measurement includes stand
Red and white jar with sgraffito lizard and mesh design Red and white jar decorated with a sgraffito lizard and mesh geometric design
7 in H by 7 in Dia
Measurement includes stand

Mata Ortiz/Casas Grandes Potters