cuerda seca, prints on porcelain, raku...

The fact that I'm not good at keeping this blog up-to-date lately doesn't mean that I'm not doing anything about ceramics.. on the contrary, last couple of weeks I worked a lot..
I am still struggling to learn more about surface design, hoping to find a way that I will like and will be good at...
I have learnt the tecnique "cuerda seca"..
it is a technique based on applying different glazes upon oxide covered piece and quite simple.. but obviously I am not very good at it! Maybe that's why last week Evandro told me that I can do something else instead of making tiles with this technique! I started to throw again.. and I am so happy..
As you may remember that I adore porcelain.. 10 days ago I have joined "prints on porcelain" workshop of Annalisa Guerri in l'albero di terracotta.. I loved it.. she demostrated a couple of ways to print on clay and it was very interesting.. I can't wait to try them in my studio.. Annalisa works with porcelain and paper clay... I find her pieces very exquisite.. you may see them here
and finaly, last weekend we have done raku firing.. we have tried Evandro's new raku kiln and I can say that it worked perfectly!

searching for a place..

I'm still searching for a place for making ceramics in Rome.
last week I have visited Elettra Cippriani's studio "L'albero di terracotta"..it is a very cosy place and I would love to go there, but it is very far from where I live..but for who would like to participate courses there, here is the link..
I have found another studio relatively closer.. I got in contact with them and Evandro Gabrieli, one of the owners of the studio "Keramos", invited me to their exhibition last sunday.
It is located in a beautiful building in Testaccio. One part of the studio is organized as a showroom where the works of Evandro Gabrielli and Rosana Antonelli can be seen.. the other part is used as a workshop where they are holding the courses. We have briefly talked and I decided to join the "corso di cuerda seca"..

ceramics exhibition: Elettra Cipriani, Contaminazioni di terra e fuoco

I am still in Rome and it seems that I will stay here for a couple of months more.. I think that I made a pause long enough and it is time to go back to making ceramics..
I made a quick search to find a studio that I could work while I am here and I got in contact with Elettra Cipriani. She has kindly invited me to her exhibition last week.. Here are some pictures from the exhibition, Contaminazioni di terra e fuoco..

...for who would like to know more about this exhibition or who would consider to visit, here is the link for details..
...and these are the ones that will come home with me..

By the way, have you ever met a blogger that you follow? I did!..
I met with Abacada in the exhibition by chance.. what a nice surprise it was!

trip to north Italy

I ended 2010 with an amazing trip to North Italy. I visited my friend Maria Grazia in Torbole Sul Garda.. [I mentioned about her in one of my last posts here ].. Even though most people told me that it is not the best time of the year for visiting that part of Italy, I simply adored... She showed me around her house, her town and towns nearby: Arco, Rovereto, Riva del Garda.. She has a beautiful studio within her newly renovated house by lake Garda.. It was a very nice trip, aside from freezing cold weather!!!
She has taken me to MART, a modern art museum in Rovereto designed by Mario Botta.. Rovereto, with around 40.000 inhabitants, not a big city and it was totally surprising to see this relatively big, modern museum surrounded by 18th century buildings.. There was 4 exhibitions at the same time and main exhibition "Modigliani Scultura" was very impressive.. even though it was not an extensive collection, all pieces were meticulously chosen.. Another exhibition was "Mario Botta. Architetture 1960-2010" where you may see all his projects with original sketches, models, photographs and drawings..

when it comes to ceramics... not only I have seen beautiful pieces in her studio, but also she has taken me other places where I could see different examples of ceramics.. when we were walking around Rovereto, we have visited a studio/shop of a local ceramist Antonio Asinari. He has a very distinctive style that you can see in his whistle here below... Yes, it is a whistle!
She also introduced me to her ceramist friend, Giuseppe Marcadent. It was such a great pleasure to meet him and to visit his studio.. He mainly makes stoves in ceramics -renovation works or new ones- but he also makes delicate, precise porcelain artworks.. I am so fortunate to have one of these beauties as a present. you may also see it here below.. Now they sit on my shelf together with my other ceramic treasures.

it's been a long time..

it's been a long time since my last post to this blog..
During this period, a few changes happened in my life which kept me away from ceramics.. to summarize in a nutshell: I quit my job and came to Italy.
I am in Rome right now.. I came here 2 weeks ago and will stay till the end of January... At the beginning, I was hoping to keep making ceramics but then, I decided to be observer rather than maker here.. So, even though I have found a small studio very near to where I stay, I will not make ceramics for two months..
I will use this period to recharge..
Last two weeks, I have seen some extraordinary examples of architecture either from the past, or today.. I have seen 3 of my favourite architects’ works in a week.. It is just amazing..
I have been in MAXXI, Museum of Modern Art designed by Zaha Hadid..


...in Auditorium Parco della Musica designed by Renzo Piano..

Museo dell’Ara Pacis designed by Richard Meier..

And I have seen a very impressive exhibition “trentannidisegno” : design works of Antonio Romana and his office “Inarea” .. They have such a creativity that puts a smile on your face.. It is just impossible not to adore the wit and creativity of these people...

from the archive: Workshop at La Meridiana, Italy

In 2006, I have joined a workshop in La Meridiana.. to Smoke Firing workhop with Luca Tripaldi.
I was a bit nervous before the travel, since it was my first workshop abroad, I wasn't quite sure if my knowledge on clay will be good enough and at what level the other participants will be.. also i wasn't sure if i can manage to find my way to school, considering the fact that i didn't know even a word in Italian..(actually, i started learning Italian right after I got back, so you see those workshops has very different influences on you!!).. First I needed to fly to Rome, then took a train from the airport to Roma Termini, took another train to Florence and changed to last train to Siena and got off at the station of Certaldo..I know it doesn't sound very easy but actually it was a pretty smooth journey and I arrived in Certaldo one Sunday Evening at the end of July 2006.
They picked up us - me and another participant from US - and after 10 minutes journey, we arrived at La Meridiana..

It is in a beautiful 15th century building.. There is a big studio with a high ceiling, in which lessons take place and a small gallery where you may see some very nice works from different ceramic artists, including Pietro Maddalena's- the owner of the school... The school is surrounded by a big garden.. we have eaten our lunches and have our coffee breaks in that beautiful garden... there is also a wood firing kiln which was under-construction when I was there..
After we have met with Luca briefly, they took us to where we were going to stay.. "i giuggioli"

It is a restored farmhouse, just about 10 minutes by walk away from school.. I stayed there with other 7 participants, we had wonderful dinners on the terrace overlooking famous Tuscan view..

During the workshop, Luca taught us 3 different techniques of smoke firing that you can get very different results with.. He is very good, genial and considerate teacher... Also as a ceramic artist, he creates delicate, fine pieces.. you can see them here.

After this workshop, I tried these techniques at home a couple of times with very good results.. Nowadays, I am not using them very often, but i always use some throwing tips that Luca has given.. I also have met with very nice people there.. Maria Grazia Staffieri is one of them and she is using smoke firing techniques perfectly..
If you ever want to take a week off and spend time with clay, while having your holiday in Tuscany, with beautiful people and gorgeous food, I highly recommend this school...

"turtle" bottles

I was hoping to finalize the project till the end of september but I realized that, as of this weekend, just one out of third is completed.. Therefore, a bit of disprited, I went into my studio yesterday.. and instead of trying something new, I decided to use some of my former knowledge on surface design which mostly I have learnt in workshops..

In those workshops, not only I learned a lot from the "clay" people that I met, but also I learned more about myself.. In a completely new environment with new people, you have a condensed period of time in which you need to learn and try. This makes you focus more, consider from a different angle, try new ways and push your limits.. I joined 3 workshops so far, in Italy, England and Hungary and each&every one of them has a remarkable impact on my works.. As I have said, not just the topic that I have been taught, but I think whole experience makes the difference. I will write in detail my workshop experiences later, in case some of you might be interested joining one of them...

This weekend, mostly I used techniques that I learnt in Peter Beard's workshop 2 years ago.. we had made tens of test tiles when I was there, but for the first time, I applied them on an actual piece..

I am quite happy with these funny little ones, they are about 15 cm high.. and looking like turtles... don't you agree?