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.