Swinging Chicken

Riding on a swing, a whimsical yellow chicken is depicted among green leaves against a blue background. Mexican artisan Maria Isabel Cruz creates this piece of ceramic wall art in the centuries-old style known as the dry rope technique, in which a wax mixture made of magnesium oxide and fat are applied to the outlines of the image or motif prior to glazing. The wax mixture creates a barrier that keeps the different fill colors in the design separate during firing, before burning off to reveal the blackened ceramic beneath.