MadeByGirl: Me = Crazy About Ceramics...(Via Made By Girl)

MadeByGirl: Me = Crazy About Ceramics...(Via Made By Girl): "I SERIOUSLY l-o-v-e ceramics in a home. I recently bought a Tibor, which is a ginger jar here in the US but a classic decor piece in Mexico...."

Disclaimer: I am not a writer!

I have spent the last few days adding the new beautiful French collection to the Emilia Ceramics website.  It is a time-consuming and emotionally exhausting process for two reasons: First, I am not a writer!  Sure I have done some writing in my past, you know things like a senior thesis on racial disparities in education and... umm... a lot of journal writing while living abroad.  But I've never written for a magazine or newspaper.  And as my friends know, I don't even send long emails.  I am more of a 'get the point across' kind of writer. 

The second reason writing about these ceramic pieces is hard is because I feel such an emotional connection to them.  I sit here, looking at this stunning bowl, analyzing how it was thrown by hand (maybe even by someone who welcomed me into their home and cooked me dinner) and how it was then individually painted, following the artist's creative inspiration.  And all this occurred in a far-off  corner of Provence, before it was packed up and sent halfway around the world.  No wonder these descriptions take me a little time and energy.  And no wonder I often find myself thinking, "maybe I shouldn't sell this one.  Maybe I should just keep it for myself."  I love these pieces... each for its own imperfections, special glazes and unique story. 

I'm not really complaining.  I am grateful for the opportunity to share these truly extraordinary works of art with all of you and writing about their beauty is just part of that.  All I ask is that you cut me a little slack when I write too casually or too passionately or make grammatical errors.  I haven't been formally trained and I'm way to attached to each piece to be held responsible for my mistakes. 

Here's my most recent description of an awesome large bowl by Sylvie Duriez called Moody Blond.  (My exhaustion is probably most apparent in the ridiculous names I give these pieces).  Please keep in mind that I've been doing this for hours now and I do truly love this bowl. 

Check out all that has made it to the website so far -- The Emilia Ceramics French Collection. (There will me more!!)  And don't forget to click on "About the Artist" to learn more about each piece's history.

Talavera Vázquez - In Hot Demand!!

While my mind has been preoccupied by French pottery lately (shipment to arrive any day now!), my customers are still very much focused on my Mexican collection, especially the contemporary pieces from Talavera Vázquez.  In the last few months, their work has emerged as my best sellers... both among peers living in small, sparsely decorated apartments, as well as among seasoned collectors from around the country.  Needless to say, it's time for a new order.  I've attached photos of a few pieces that have been in especially hot demand lately.  To see the current Vázquez collection, click here.

And please feel free to offer me your thoughts on sizes, colors, styles, etc. if you'd like to influence my new order.  I always appreciate suggestions!!  You can write a comment below or email me directly.

Blue Striped Tibor - Currently Sold Out (was $128)

Orange ZigZag Lamp - Currently Sold Out (was $185) 

 Small Candle Holders - Currently Sold Out (was $36 a pair)

Small Cristina Vase - $68

Paloma Serving Dish - $148

Last Week: Andalucia

Wow, I can't believe my big buying trip is coming to an end!  I had a great time driving down the coast from Valencia on Tuesday and then spent Wednesday exploring the Cazorla National Park.  This area produces 10% of the world's olive oil, which is not difficult to believe -- the olive groves stretch out in every direction, as far as the eye can see.  Beautiful.

On Thursday, I headed for Sevilla, but made two pottery stops on the way.  The first was impromptu... the hotel owner in Cazorla had mentioned that I really should stop in the nearby town of Ubeda to visit La Alfareria Tito... and I am so glad I did.  Check out some photos of the store I walked into:

I soon met Melchor Tito, who drove me from his store to a small workshop, where there are only 2 work stations: one for Melchor Tito Sr. (first photo below) and one for Melchor Tito Jr.  Talk about a close father-son relationship, these two work together everyday, crafting, painting, and firing their unique ceramic artwork.

I also got a tour and explanation of the traditional (and very elaborate) Arabic firing process they use.  They have the oldest Arabic kiln in all of Europe (that's still functioning) and using it means carefully packing it to capacity, then closely monitoring its progress for the 30 hours it's cooking!  They keep an eye on the heat, section by section, and add kindling (for which they use, not surprisingly, dried olive branches) to certain areas as needed.  Here's Melchor Jr. showing me the tunnel-like entry through which they add kindling.

The whole process is super labor-intensive, which means they only do it once a year.  But the result is beautiful - strong, mineral-based glazes, from rich evergreen and golden honey, to deep cobalt.  It did not take me long to decide Alfareria Tito would make a great addition to the Emilia Ceramics collection!

My next stop was Hermanos Granados in Lucena, a small town near Cordoba.  Because of my detour to Alfareria Tito (and the fact that Melchor Tito was very outgoing and wanted to tell me every detail about his craft), I arrived about 3 hours later than I had expected.  Luckily, Isidoro Granados turned out to be the exact opposite of Melchor Tito -- extremely quiet and only interested in showing me what I asked to be shown.  Here's Isidoro, holding a pitcher.  We joked about how this huge pitcher made him appear even smaller than he really is (probably less than five feet tall). Standing next to me had the same effect!

Despite his shyness, Isidoro was very welcoming.  He answered all my questions and introduced me to the rest of his family (aka, his coworkers).  I had actually visited the Granados family 8 years ago, when I was living in Sevilla and just getting interested in the idea of importing ceramics.  It was great to see their work again in person, as they employ a very traditional Andalusian style that I love.  It's rustic, with a truly functional look and feel.

With that, I ended the pottery portion of my trip and focused my energy on enjoying my old stomping grounds in Sevilla.  It's been awesome toback in this most beautiful and energetic city!  Here are a few parting shots of the Cathedral and of course, my favorite bartenders in Sevilla.

I'll be home Wednesday -- hope to see or hear from you soon!

More from Valencia

I would happily move into La Ceramica Valenciana.  Those of you who have seen my apartment think I have a lot of ceramics... well you haven't seen anything until you've toured the workshop and showrooms at La Ceramica Valenciana.  From the outside, it looks modest -- the surroundings in little Manises (right outside Valencia) are nothing special -- but inside is like an old museum dedicated to beautiful tiles and every size, shape, and color of ceramic piece you can imagine.

I have visited on 4 separate occasions and I continue to be totally amazed by it.  No matter how long you stand in one of the many display rooms, it seems you can always find something new -- a pattern, color combination, etc. that you had never noticed before.  As you could imagine, this makes my job of selecting a sampling of my favorite pieces both extremely difficult and super fun. 

Despite the challenge, after about 3 hours with Mari José yesterday, I finally had a good list together of pieces for the Emilia Ceramics collection.  I've chosen a number of my favorite plates with subjects like the funny animal at the start of this posting, women, boats, birds and flowers.  Of course, we'll also have pitchers, mugs, and bowls that are painted in the same bright, bold colors.  I love the way these pieces are both whimsical and traditional, simultaneously.  They're fun, fresh and yet expertly made.  Speaking of which, I got a private showing from Melchor Zamora, the most senior potter at La Ceramica Valenciana.

Oh and I forgot to mention some of my favorite pieces... the labeled serving pieces.  Here's a little sampling of the fun pitchers, canisters, and bowls we all have to look forward to.

I leave Valencia this morning and below are my parting shots, which I couldn't resist sharing with you.  The first is of a parking lot right around the corner from La Ceramica Valenciana... when I finished my shopping spree I was confronted with this amazing sky.  The second photo shows a billboard for Cruz Campo (my favorite Spanish beer) peeking out above the lovely orange trees.

I've had a great time in this "ceramic city," but am excited for the next leg of my journey... today I head to Larios, a workshop outside Murcia (about 3 hours south of hear).  I don't know anything about Larios, but will definitely keep you posted!

Ceramica Valenciana

Sorry for the delay in writing, but I've been busy.  There's a lot of ceramics in Valencia... not to mention all the great bars and restaurants, museums, beaches, and even a few local festivals keeping me busy.  This is definitely the Spain I fell in love with!  The best part (for me anyway) is that making new friends and eating/drinking well are closely linked with discovering beautiful ceramics here in Valencia.  Ceramics is a tradition revered alongside oranges, Catholicism, and a dangerously good cocktail called "Agua de Valencia."

That helps explain AVEC (Associacion Valenciana de Ceramica), a non-profit that has sponsored my stay here and introduced me to numerous local artists.  Their mission is to support ceramicists (helping them stay current with technology, supplies, etc.) and help promote their craft, which has definitely suffered in the current economy.  Maria Carmen is in charge of promotions and it has been her task to get to know me and my business.  She has been a huge help in introducing me to the best artists in town.  Here's Maria Carmen, showing off some local work:

We spent all day together Thursday and Friday, meeting artists, touring their workshops and picking out pieces.  Here's a glimpse at a few of my favorite artists I met with her help:

Maria José is the 3rd generation owner of Ceramica Valenciana, the most famous of all the workshops in town.  The reason I came to Valencia to begin with was because of the beautiful plates, pitchers, and bowls created by Ceramica Valenciana, not to mention their funky kitchen canisters.  You will definitely see a lot of their work in the future!  I'm going back to the workshop tomorrow to finalize my order and will share more photos with you afterward.

Caesar of Plat y Bol was very modest and helpful... I made a mess of his workshop looking at all his designs.  Here he is showing off a hand-painted clock:

Francisco Romero of Romero Lerma is hilarious... he made me take 5 photos and show him each one until he was satisfied that he looked okay : ).

Juan Carlos teaches ceramics and makes his own in his spare time.  When we visited his small workshop (really just a garage with a giant kiln) he was working on the wheel and when he heard I had done it before, he set me up to make a bowl.  It was really fun, but reminded me just how difficult it is to make even the most basic shape!

Another Francisco... this one runs Ceramicas Chenol along with his father.  When I asked him if he feels pressure to paint as well as his dad, he laughed and asked me why I wouldn't think he was the better painter?!  His dad was not their to defend himself.

My favorites of his pieces were the blue and white plates (pictured below) that show off the classic Arabic style which is very prevalent in Spanish ceramics.

Stay tuned for more tomorrow!  Thanks for reading -- feel free to write any comments or thoughts you might have.

Patrice and Sylviana Voelkel

It's freezing in Provence.  Seriously, I'm not kidding.  It's rainy and cold and windy and, did I mention cold?! The last I checked it's supposed to be sunny and warm in the South of France, at least from April on.  Well, not this week.

With only one day left in France and having already exceeded my pottery budget, I planned to spend today hiking.  But, as I mentioned, the weather did not cooperate.  So I did what seemed most logical: wine-tasting and shopping.  Lucky for me (and you!) I happened to drive by Poterie Voelkel and because it was pouring rain, I stopped.  Here's a shot of my little VW at their back door, as well as a photo of their interior yard... all so picturesque.

 I knocked on the front door of the house and met Patrice, who led me to the little store (below) and claimed he didn't speak English.  Not true.  He spoke and understood just enough English to charm me into buying quite a lot of his beautiful stoneware. 

 Patrice and his wife Sylviane work together.  They use black clay, but when it is fired it comes out looking just like the red clay we're more used to seeing.  Here's Sylviane, hard at work.

The Voelkels glaze their pieces with a variety of liquid-like colors, but I was especially attracted to the marbled blue and celadon, as well as a contemporary chalk white. These pieces are totally different from what I'm accustomed to buying, but I think they will make a great compliment for the more traditional pieces in the collection.

I had a great time in Patrice's store... the artwork was beautiful and the artist could not have been more humble or helpful.  Plus, it was a great distraction from the cold outside.

Tomorrow I leave Provence and head to Valencia, because you know, when it's cold and rainy in Southern France there's only one place to go, Southern Spain : ).   

Merci et au revoir!