Black Clay and Barro Negro Pottery Now Available in Laguna Beach

When Adriana Guzman sets her sights on accomplishing something, nothing seems to stand in her way. Take the local resident's interest in featuring Barro Negro pottery (i.e., black clay) in her Laguna Beach gallery — AG Vision. Aptly named as a space to feature works that speak to her vision (the “AG” stands for Guzman’s first and last name), the AG Vision Gallery, which just opened in May of this year at 572 S. Coast Hwy., has become known in local interior design and art circles to offer only premium Mexican art. 

And now, just four short months after its grand opening, AG Vision has the distinction of being one of the only galleries in Southern California to carry pieces of art made of the rich black clay that composes Barro Negro — a style of pottery from Oaxaca, Mexico, that’s famously distinguished by its color, sheen and unique designs. Guzman, who also also owns and operates a retail store and interior design business in Guadalajara, Mexico, tells Laguna Beach Vibe that she worked long and hard to open up the supply of black clay art for the Southern California market. 

"Oaxaca, where the black clay originates from,” says Guzman, "is one of the few Mexican states which is characterized by the continuance of its ancestral craft — a tradition dating back more then 2,000 years.” According to Guzman, the Barro Negro pottery technique was originally developed in the tiny village of San Bartolo Coyotepec by a woman named Rosa Real. Real learned that if she dried the clay before firing it at a lower temperature, it came out with the rich black color you see associated with the images at the top and bottom of this article. She then polished the fired pieces with quartz crystal, which left them with a unique finish. 

Works created from the black clay were so unique that the Barro Negro style was quickly sought after by visitors to area, which is located in the center of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Now, thanks to Adriana Guzman’s “vision,” Barro Negro pottery is available here in Laguna Beach.

Visit AG Vision online at www.AGvisionStore.com or stop by the store at 572 South Coast Highway here in Laguna Beach. Curious to know even more? Give Adriana Guzman a call at (949) 275-3274.

Arts

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