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!