Long hair streaked with gray, he was often be either stooped over a batch of clay, or working with students from ages seven to adult. This career is due in part to a twist of fate. The result was that the farmer laid dead and his family took revenge, burning the family home, forcing his father to flee to the mountains and the rest of the family to the outskirts of Durango city to start over.
He prefers that his work speak for him. He has his own workshop and gallery, Taller Toltecatl, where he works with his wife Norma Elizabeth Campos Galindo and one of his sons, Gerardo.
His work ranges from souvenir-type pieces produced serially to one-of-a-kind artworks. The line of handcraft that stands out most are covered vases and other decorative items that have been painted with a slip, usually burnt orange, blue or green then a primitive but finely-detailed sgraffito scratched into it.
Like Mata Ortiz pottery, the decoration is inspired by the Chalchihuite culture of historical significance to Durango but unlike the pottery to the north, the vessels and their making are modern. One line uses bright colors and bold designs and other uses a combination of colors to imitate the look of copper and bronze pieces.
These imitations are surprisingly realistic, especially considering that acrylics are used and the piece is not fired again after decoration. The last straight-up handcraft line that the maestro does is a line of black pottery pieces that are inspired by the barro negro done in the southern state of Oaxaca. It cannot be washed or rubbed off after the firing process. Most of his artistic works are ceramic sculpture, often with a sexual or kind of a nightmarish appeal.
