Online Exhibit - Heron Martinez Mendoza

This gallery by Heron Martinez Mendoza (1918-1990) showcases some of his impressive pieces. As a ceramic artist, Mendoza began his career making utilitarian pieces, designing containers to carry water. His design, which prevented the handles from breaking, was so successful that people lined up to buy them. This success moved him into making pots and planters, and over time, these became more and more creative as he changed their forms to represent animals, fish and various types of birds. As interest in his work grew and folk art stores sought his work, he let his burgeoning creativity loose to make different types of much more complex and sophisticated pieces. In this gallery, the pieces represent the major themes Mendoza explored in his work: trees of life (arboles de la vida), Nativity scenes, the Virgin of Guadalupe, and animals and natural imagery.