El Coqui Galleries

 

Lila Silveira and Carlos Carillo, Biography

 

 

Text Box: Carlos and Lila are a handsome and very gracious couple in their mid 20’s.  They live in the Porvenir barrio of Mata Ortiz.

 

Their pots are beautifully formed, very light, and finely finished -inside as well as outside. The designs show the influence of Juan Quezada’s style.

 

Lila, is the daughter of the late José Silveira and Socorro Sandoval, both potters.  As teenagers Lila and her sister Trini made pots together. Lila formed the pots and Trini painted them, but Lila signed most of them. They worked in the style of many of the Porvenir potters. They used the commonest clay and the painting was not very refined.

 

Carlos' family is from Juarez, but the family vacationed every summer at a ranch near Mata Ortiz. There he met Lila and in 1995 they were married. Carlos knew nothing of the pottery and Lila and Trini kept working together for a while. In the meantime Lila taught Carlos how to pot.

 

An American friend introduced them to Juan Quezada who was very impressed by how they talked about the pottery, the questions they asked, and their enthusiasm. Although Juan has rarely taken on students in the village he decided to teach them

 

Several times a week Juan would walk up to their house to instruct Lila and Carlos in all phases of pottery making. They got along famously. Juan provided them with different clays, paints and tools - including two deer leg bones that are his favorites for polishing. They provided Juan with lots of coffee. Lila and Carlos were eager and apt students and have learned much from Juan, who is known as an excellent teacher as well as brilliant artist. Both of them engage in all phases of pot making. They collaborate on many works. The painter signs the pot.

 

They have three children. Belen the nine year old girl is quiet, very polite, and has big beautiful eyes. Yvette is 3 ½. She was born three months premature. José Carlos, named after his grandfather and father, was born in May 2000, two months after his grandfather’s death.

 

                                                                                                Ron Schneider, November 2002