Rene Vazquez

"I come from a family of artisans and am the fourth generation to preserve this precious tradition of ceramic arts.

"I'm a happy man and am enthusiastic about what I'm doing at any given moment. My parents have been ceramists all their lives and they showed me how to give my own personal touch to the objects I create.

"For me, chili peppers are the icon of our nation. It give me great satisfaction to present our Mexican chiles. They are a fundamental part of our gastronomy and I transform them into colorful decorative accents.

"I'm enthusiastic about the identity of our handicrafts, especially their regional and rustic methods of production. I love it when I can create varied colors for each one of our designs.

"We work in clay and ceramic paste, and these materials are just two more family members for us.

"I especially enjoy sharing the skills my parents taught me, especially the encouraging words of my mother who always supported me as I worked to reach my goals of transmitting the essence of every design I created. 'Never give up,' she told me. 'The obstacles in your path are stepping stones leading toward your destiny.'

"I feel so proud to be a Mexican and work with chiles, these beautiful symbols of my country. When I see that others share this fascination, it's an enormous source of satisfaction for me. And my ardent desire to continue creating grows and grows."