More beautiful crafts and folk-art from Peru

This is the second of a two-part series (read the first blog) about different kinds of Peruvian handmade crafts and world-class folk art, many practiced since pre-Inca times and inspired by lasting traditions.

 Inca Cross Jewelry 

Considered sacred in the Inca culture, the Chakana, or Inca Cross, is a popular design motif found throughout Peru — from ancient archaeological sites to stonework, pottery, and textiles to beautiful jewelry pieces. Silver Inca cross pendants, rings, earrings, and more may be inlaid with colorful stones or shells. It’s geometric shape has deep spiritual significance for the Quechua people. Its center circle represents the Inca imperial capital of Cusco as well as the Southern Cross constellation.

Carved Gourds

The traditional Peruvian art form of carved gourds, or mates burilados, dates back more than 4,000 years to pre-Inca societies. In ancient times, they had ceremonial and practical purposes. Today they are primarily decorative with carvings depicting scenes of daily life or stories from history and mythology. Commonly made in Peru’s central and southern Andes mountains, these artifacts use the dried, hard-skinned rind of the gourd as a canvas. Craftsmen, or materos, hand-etch, dye, and acid-burn designs into the gourd to produce a range of colors.

Ayacucho Pottery

Considered Peru’s folk art and handicraft capital, the town of Ayacucho in the central highlands is one of the country’s key pottery centers. Using the local red- and cream-colored clay adorned with brown and white paint, artisans produce small handmade churches inspired by the town’s own 33 churches, one for each year of Jesus’ life.

Pucará Bulls

Bulls of another sort originate in the Puno region near Lake Titicaca. The iconic torito de Pucará is an intricately painted ceramic bull figurine often used for ceremonial purposes. Originally made as a ritual element during the cattle-branding ceremony, these figurines are believed to bring prosperous harvests, livestock procreation, happiness in marriage, and household protection. Throughout much of the Andes, you’ll see a pair of bull figurines straddling a cross cemented on rooftops for protection.

Shipibo Pottery

Deep in the Peruvian Amazon, the indigenous Shipibo-Conibo people are well-known for elaborate maze-like designs, known as kené, that adorn their clay pottery. These delicate geometric lines, in shades of brown and ochre, are inspired by the natural environment and rooted in shamanistic visions and native cosmology. Intricate designs are created freehand predominantly by women. Shipibo pottery is distinct from that made in the rest of the country because the style of baking in an open fire pit means the walls of the pieces are thinner and the earthenware pots and bowls are more delicate.

Musical Instruments

The Peruvian highlands produce hauntingly beautiful music, thanks to a variety of unique native instruments. Displaying indigenous, Spanish, and African influences, they range from flutes and panpipes to guitars and drums. The most famous of these is the traditional Andean flute, or quena, a hollow reed with one thumb and six finger holes. Just as distinctive is the zampoña, also called a siku, a traditional Aymara panpipe made of different-length reeds bound together in a flat or slightly curved shape.

Rounding out the baleful sound is the charango, a 10-stringed instrument in the lute family invented by the Quechua and Aymara people of Peru. Originally made of armadillo shells, charangos are now more commonly crafted from wood. Finally, traditional drums include the six-sided box-shaped cajón and the cylindrical bombo drum.

Llama Figurines

With llamas so ubiquitous in the Peruvian Andes, it’s no surprise that they turn up as adorable woolly figurines. An important pack animal and source of wool for the Incas, this native camelid typically appears as a white fluffy stuffed animal adorned with a halter, saddle bags, or pom-poms and in multiple sizes from keychains and Christmas ornaments to teddy-bear like toys.

Photos from free sources

 

 

Where to find the best pottery in Ireland

I love pottery.  I rarely pass up a craft show, potter’s workshop, or artisan’s gallery without adding to my collection. 

So it’s no surprise that I purchased a piece from Louis Mulcahy Pottery in DinglePeninsula in Ireland. What is surprising is that I agreed to the steep shipping charge back to the U.S. for the oversized platter that I chose. But since shipping was almost the same, I added a pair of Mulcahy’s signature red candlesticks, both of which are on display now in my home.

Louis Mulcahy has been potting for more than forty years. After winning first prize for pottery in the National Crafts Competition in 1975, he decided to move his workshop from Dublin to Dingle. He and his wife Lisbeth, a weaver, sold their house and invested their savings in a risky venture because he wanted to produce the best pottery possible.

The last of the big potteries making all pieces exclusively in Ireland, Louis Mulcahy designs and makes each individual piece. For multiples, such as tableware and lamp bases, he designs and tests the prototypes before handing production over to assistants.  Most pieces take two to three weeks from start to finish.

His studio, workshop, and retail shop in Ballyferriter on the Dingle Peninsula produces and stocks an extensive range of exquisite porcelain and fine ceramic giftware and tableware, all made on-site. Approximately 25,000 to 30,000 pieces (200-300 different works) are produced there each year. Using four or five special glazes, his work has gained worldwide recognition for its durability and lively finishing touches. The stoneware and porcelain pieces are dishwasher, microwave, and oven safe.

The pottery business is also home to an Open Room where everyone is welcome to try their hand at throwing a pot free of charge and under the eye of an experienced potter. It’s an educational experience that illustrates the skill and training required to master the craft. Learning to throw pots takes about three years, but it’s a lifetime commitment, says Mulcahy’s son-in-law, who also works as a potter at the studio.

Visitors are welcome to stop and browse and to refresh themselves at the Cafe upstairs, which  serves fresh local food, home-baked cakes, and coffees. After watching a demonstration, shopping for favorite pieces, and observing a guest try the potter’s wheel, we had a delicious lunch at the café of tomato soup, ham and cheese panini, and fresh lemonade. 

In an amazing bit of serendipity, we ran into a couple we knew from our Texas town at the shop, and they invited us to visit their Ireland home. If the sunny day wasn’t already glorious, that ensured our “craickin” day was just perfect.

The Visitors Center is open now, and online orders are also accepted. www.louismulcahy.com

Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier

Beautiful pottery from Cappadocia, Turkey

Avanos, a Hitite city in the World Heritage region of Cappadocia in Turkey, is an ancient town where people still live in rock houses carved into the famous basalt formations.

Its other claim to fame is that Turkey’s famous pottery is made here, so I really enjoyed our visit to Omurlu Ceramics on our recent trip to Turkey. Kizilirmak River, the longest in Turkey, starts at Mt. Arafat, flows through the town of Avanos, then makes a U-turn and goes back to the Black Sea. On the banks of this river is a red-hued clay used in making the pottery.

Different styles of pottery made at Omurlu

The Omurlu family has been making pottery for 200 years—that’s seven generations—and we met with Hassan, the oldest son who is now in charge. Pottery display and reception rooms are built into a cave, as is often the procedure in this region. Hassan explained that two artists work on each piece of pottery—one crafts the piece and another paints the designs. Creating one piece can take several months depending on complexity of the design.

Omurlu is one of only two places that can produce the Iznik tiles used in the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. Red clay from the river is an important component, and artists demonstrated their incomparable skill in creating collector items as well as functional pieces that are dishwasher safe.

The business is seven generations strong.

Hassan explained that there are different kinds of clay: Ceramic clay has chemicals, but Omurlu uses a quartz clay that is lead-free and absorbs higher heat resulting in more brilliant colors. A combination of 80% quartz and 20% red clay is used for many pieces.

A potter works intently to create
a new piece.

We watched as one of the potters created a piece on his wheel. Afterwards, Hassan played a traditional mandolin-type instrument called saz and sang Turkish songs while we waited for drinks—wine, tea, colas, or coffee-- to be brought in.

Later we learned that three types of designs are generally used on Turkish pottery:

Iznik has flowers, including tulip designs, the national flower of Turkey. Iznik type flowers can also be found on carpets, bowls, walls, and painted items. The Omurlu family style features intricate geometric patterns in vivid colors. The designs are creative and ornate and made of 80 percent quartz and 20 percent clay. Hitite style pottery uses primarily animal designs.

Each piece is handmade and unique, and the company can custom make a pattern in any size a client might want. Plates take anywhere from 10 days to one month to make, but the Omurlu family style designs are the most difficult and many take even longer.


Painting the intricate designs takes weeks, even months.

Since pottery of any kind is my weakness, I felt the need to bring home an example of the finest, most detailed pottery I had ever seen. I bought a bowl painted in family style, a brightly colored geometric pattern with raised dots that added to design difficulty, a piece that Hassan said took two months to complete. I received it a few weeks after our return and was once again struck by its beauty.

Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier

A couple of Irish tales for St. Patrick's Day



Irish coffee originated in Foynes

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I invite you to read of my Ireland stories which were published on Striped Pot, a boutique online travel site.

Visiting lesser known places, learning history of the area, and discovering beautiful art all add immensely to the enjoyment of traveling.

“Flying Boats” Made Foynes, Ireland Center of Aviation World

If you visit the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula in southern Ireland–probably the most popular tourist destinations in that country—be sure to stop at the Foynes Flying Boat Museum in County Limerick.  Here you’ll learn about the nostalgic era when Foynes was the center of the aviation world, from 1939 to 1945.

http://stripedpot.com/2012/01/12/flying-boats-made-foynes-ireland-center-of-aviation-world/

Louis Mulcahy Pottery is one of Ireland’s Best

A small sample of Louis Mulcahy pottery.

The last of the big potteries making all pieces exclusively in Ireland, Louis Mulcahy designs and makes each individual piece. I bought a large platter, one of his exclusive designs.

http://stripedpot.com/2012/01/12/flying-boats-made-foynes-ireland-center-of-aviation-world/

Photos by Beverly Burmeier