Of course, Italy is known for both glass and ceramics. However, on our most recent trip, we were in the southern half, which is known more for its ceramics. After looking at several shops along the Amalfi coast, the ceramics begin to look similar... that is until we found a quaint and amazing shop in Ravello.
The unique designs and color combinations are what attracted me. Here's a close-up of one of the plates hanging in front:
All of their plates are hand painted. And, they have a wide array of designs that it was so difficult to narrow down the selection -- of course, we had to get a few souvenirs from our trip ;)
Here I am standing with Pascal with the pattern of the bowl I purchased. He was very accommodating and even offered to have a piece custom-made and shipped to me. The final piece turn out great and looks fantastic in my kitchen (of course, accented by glass):
As mentioned, there were so many great designs that it was hard to make a selection -- which was a first for me with ceramics! Here's one of two smaller pieces that we got in this design:
From an artist perspective, I appreciate the time it took to create and hand paint the designs. And, I love having unique decor that reminds me of my travels. If I were to apply some learnings to my glasswork, it would be the power of design whether it be on larger statement pieces or smaller inexpensive ones (even the smaller pieces contained better artwork than those I saw elsewhere). While I was deciding on which ceramics to buy, a past customer from California walked in who was there to buy more. And, while Ravello is not one of the main destinations along the Amalfi coast, I would certainly visit this ceramics shop again if I were in the area just to look at wonderful artwork -- that's the power of good design :)
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