OUR FAVORITE POTTERY FAMILY

The first year we ever came to Cuenca to visit Chuck and Nancy at Las Cuadras, we discovered a great potter right in the neighborhood. This shop is on Mariscal Lamar at number 24-90, in the noted Convencion del 45 neighborhood of traditional potters. (For a lot more detailed information, check this link to a graduate thesis on the history of pottery in this area http://lib-ir.lib.sfu.ca/bitstream/1892/10008/1/b31135080.pdf)


This is where the family lives, as well as the studio and show room. Everytime we go there the family is so nice, and usually one of them will spontaneously gives us a tour and explain the process.

Here they are working the clay in a back patio.

The first year we got the tour, they were actually digging clay in the backyard. Mama explained to us that the clay from the backyard isn't strong enough on its own and needs to be mixed with other clay.

Here's another look at the workshop. Everything is terracotta. I would say their main business is with utilitarian pottery, such as flower pots.

They fire the clay in this adobe kiln, in a method similar to raku.

When they want to create pieces which have a black color, they take the hot clay from the kiln and dip it into this "bath" of charcoal dust, then fire again.

Although this isn't a great photo, you can see how black the pottery gets with this method. This is similar to the way the potters in Oaxaca and the American Southwest get the black in their pottery.

The pieces we like the best are the ones which have been hand rubbed with stones to produce a high gloss. Here are the pieces we bought this year.


An added bonus to visiting Jose Encalada's studio is seeing our favorite dog on the way home.

He is so mellow that he only barks when you stop petting him.

Audrey