Candelario Medrano, Santa Cruz de las Huertas, Jalisco, Mexico. Painted earthenware, metal wire. Gift of A Horse of a Different Color CANDELARIO MEDRANO andelario Medrano grew up in Santa Cruz de las Huertas, a small village of ceramic toymakers in the state of Jalisco. As a young boy, he was adopted by Julio Acero, the villageÆs best toymaker. Through a lengthy apprenticeship, Medrano learned every step of the potterÆs trade from gathering the clay and mixing it with his bare feet, to gathering the wood to fire the kiln. He learned to make toy whistles in the shape of animals and other popular forms like roosters and mermaids. As an adult, Medrano began to incorporate small and lively figures of animals and people into larger, more complex designs. He became well-known for his NoahÆs arks teeming with animals and for his cathedrals, trains, and buses packed with people. Many of his pieces were inspired by local folktales that concern the supernatural. Though the old master died in the late 1980s, his children and grand-children continue to produce playful ceramic figures in his energetic style.						Teodora Blanco JosΘ Francisco Borges Felipe Archuleta Candelario Medrano