Artesa Ceramica

One of the great things about starting from scratch is that I’ll get to carefully choose every single thing that will go into my home and so, I’ve been holding back from buying anything for the home until I actually have a place for it. But today we went on a pottery outing and I just couldn’t stop myself from buying some gifts and then once I take out the wallet, I might as well buy something for myself, right?

First we went to Artesa (Av. Isabel La Catolica y Av. de Las Americas) and then to Eduardo Vega’s atelier in Turi (I’ll write about that tomorrow). The damage was minimal at Artesa as their stuff is primarily utilitarian—mostly tabletop items like serving pieces, dinnerware, and vases.



What I found most impressive at Artesa was the amount of actual hands on labor in the making of the pieces, in spite of the volume of production. We did a tour of their factory and it appeared extremely clean, orderly, and efficient. The items are completely handmade and the prices are quite reasonable. Here’s a craftsperson drawing the design on a piece.

Then it goes to another craftsperson, who’ll carefully apply the color before it goes into the kiln. There are several steps before and after this part of the process--it’s worth taking a look backstage if you go to the showroom store.

However, what really excited me was the gallery in the back of the showroom, where pieces from past collections are displayed. I don't know when the change in design direction took place but the pieces here are spectacular collector items.




I’d love to get my hands on any these—truly gorgeous.