Mimbres Bowls: Ancient Pottery, Modern Clay

Clays
Glazing & Finishing
Beginner
Low Fire
Ages 5–7

Celebrate ancient Mimbres artistry using today’s clay and glaze materials in a cross curriculum adventure studying history, culture, clay coil building and glaze decorating techniques. The Mimbres people painted images in black on a white background, mostly on earthenware bowls. Very little beyond pottery has been recovered to learn more about these people, so making an interpretation of the Mimbres culture based on archaeological finds remains highly speculative.

What is agreed upon, however, is that between 550 and 1150 C.E. they lived in a 46-mile-long valley in a southwest corner of New Mexico. These peaceful village dwellers farmed, hunted and foraged. They painted on pottery creating images of human figures, rabbits, lizards, fish, antelopes and even bugs from their landscape.

A few years ago, I created a line of pottery celebrating the ancient art of the Mimbres people using their 900-year-old decorative motifs. This body of work was originally created for display and sale at the Eiteljorg Museum Store in Indianapolis. The Eiteljorg is dedicated to appreciating and understanding the art, history and culture of the American West, and the indigenous peoples of North America.

There are many images in traditional Mimbres decoration and some of those appeared in that line of pottery. In my more recent work, this decorative style progressed into more silhouette-type images from contemporary themes. For example, animal silhouettes—from dogs to chickens—were used as the main image on vessels with Mimbres traditional rim designs. Students can celebrate Mimbres artistry by making it new again on today’s clay.

Goals & Objectives

Mimbressuppliesoverview — Watch the Supplies Overview

Mimbresconstruct — Watch the Mimbres Construction Tutorial

Mimbresdecorate — Watch the Mimbres Decoration Tutorial

Step 1

Roll coils of clay and shape a medallion of clay for the base and begin to attach coils.

Step 2

Use a brent® Clay Extruder for coils of clay instead of rolling coils.

Step 3

Continue making coils and attaching them by scoring and gluing with vinegar.

Step 4

Continue scoring and using vinegar as glue with each added coil.

Step 5

Smooth coils to attach and to create surface to decorate.

Step 6

Add coils until the bowl is approximately 5 inches across by 3 inches high.

Step 7

Smooth coils on inside.

Step 8

Smooth coils on outside

Step 9

Smooth and compress rim.

Step 10

Paint white underglaze on outside and inside of red clay bowl and let dry. This step is not needed if using white clay.

Step 11

Cut out sketched design and trace using a pencil (pencil line will fire out).

Step 12

Paint black underglaze using a detail brush.

Step 13

Paint black underglaze using a detail brush.

Step 14

Make sure underglaze and clay is completely dry before firing to Cone 04. Mimbres decoration bowl could be finished here. For functional, food safe bowl, brush LM-10 Transparent glaze onto bisque fired bowl and do a low fire glaze firing.