HANDS THAT SEE: The Love Story of Oaxacan Potter José García

“It would seem that the hearts of the potters of Oaxaca are made of clay. Their emotions, intuitions, joys, fears, and fantasies flow through their bloodstream until arriving at the hands which knead the clay and, as if by magic, transform it into exquisite ceramic sculptures.”
- The Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art (pub. 2021)

Mexico is a place where culture, art, and tradition are deeply intertwined. For Obakki, it has also become a place of extraordinary relationships—with artisans whose work carries generations of knowledge, heritage, and connection to the land. It was here that we met José García Antonio, an Oaxacan potter and sculptor whose workshop, Manos Que Ven—Hands That See—offers a fitting introduction to both the artist and his remarkable way of experiencing the world.

José lost his sight to glaucoma decades ago, but continued creating by hand. Among the clay sculptures that have become synonymous with his work are the faces of his wife, Teresita. José began sculpting her likeness so he would never forget her features, shaping her face through touch, memory, and more than five decades of love.

Spend any time with José and Teresita, and the affection between them is unmistakable.

His wife, Teresita Mendoza Reyna Sanchez, still blushes when José speaks about how important she is to him. He dances around her with joy, their affection woven into the everyday rhythms of life and work.

Married for 35 years, José and Teresita move through the workshop together, her hand gently guiding him as it rests on his elbow. And when José sits at his worktable with clay in front of him, it is often Teresita's face that takes form beneath his hands, again and again.

Look closely at José García Antonio's clay sculptures and you'll find a distinctive detail: a small mole in the centre of the forehead, just like Teresita's. It has become a recognizable signature within his work—a deeply personal detail carried from the woman he loves into the figures he creates.

José began sculpting when he was just seven years old, shaping horses and giraffes from clay without formal instruction. His natural ability quickly became apparent, beginning a lifelong practice that would eventually earn him recognition as a master sculptor by Fomento Cultural Banamex in 2001.

José prefers to work when the temperature is cooler, often shaping his pieces in the quiet of the evening. Working entirely by hand, he transforms the rich red clay of Oaxaca into the expressive head planters, candle holders, figures, and sculptures for which he has become known.

His work is deeply connected to the materials and traditions of his home in Oaxaca, yet unmistakably his own—each piece carrying the marks of José's hands, imagination, and singular way of seeing the world.

José's work extends beyond the pieces he creates. He welcomes students from local schools into his workshop for demonstrations and classes, sharing his knowledge so that Oaxaca's pottery and clay-working traditions can continue with future generations.

That legacy also lives within his own family, where his children have followed in his footsteps as sculptors. What began for José as an instinctive relationship with clay at seven years old has become a practice carried through his workshop, his family, and his community.

And at the heart of it all remains Teresita. Her face continues to appear beneath José's hands—a portrait shaped not by sight, but through touch, memory, and a lifetime spent together.

SHOP THE STORY