Beautiful, Quality Products

We are now carrying an exquisite collection of pottery from Chaka MarketBridge.  Working primarily in Nicaragua, Chaka MarketBridge offers world class pottery and  hand-forged iron décor produced by talented individuals, each with one thing in common: lack of access to the markets they need to grow, succeed, support their families, and lift their communities out of poverty. 

Handmade can have many meanings. The most common would be a product that was made by an individual, not by a machine. Though this is accurate, in Nicaragua handmade can dig much deeper than this widely shared definition.  Both potters in the US and potters in Nicaragua create handmade works of art, but the way they go about the handmade process differs greatly.  Ask a potter in the US about their producing equipment, and you’ll likely hear about an electric turning wheel, rubber ribs, sponges, carving tools, glazes in a variety of hues, and an effortless electric kiln. Ask a potter in Nicaragua the same question and the answer is quite different. 

Here’s an example: Jose Guerrero walks across his community to a small plot of land he owns.  He then digs clay from the ground and carries it on his shoulder back to his home.  There, the clay is processed by hand – gravel and impurities are removed and sand is added one handful at a time to make the clay an appropriate consistency.  He then turns a portion of clay on his wheel and begins to form the shape envisioned in his head.  He uses straight edged scraps of wood, pieces of rags, and a bucket of water to smooth and refine the edges – all while kicking his foot to spin his non-electric wheel into motion.  After drying for a short period of time, Jose returns to the piece to begin the decorating process.  He paints his glazes of choice onto the pot using a paintbrush he has created from an old ink pen (the handle) and a portion of his wife’s hair (the brush).  When the glaze is dry, he burnishes the piece with a hard piece of plastic or a smooth stone to create a finished look.  Next, he carves one of the many intricate designs locked away in his memory.  To carve, he takes a bicycle spoke or the point of a pen and gently removes unwanted clay.  To create texture, he often uses the prongs of a metal fork.  The piece is left to dry for a period of time that varies depending on the season and weather.  To fire his artwork, Jose fills the wood-fired brick kiln that he built in his backyard.  Pieces are left to burn in the kiln for 10 hours, usually over night (but just because it’s nighttime doesn’t mean Jose is sleeping, he must stay up to monitor the firing, add more wood, and ensure that the temperature is just right).  After cooling for several hours, the pieces are removed and the process is almost complete.  Finally, Jose will add a shiny finish to each piece using a dab of shoe polish, a rag, and a lot of elbow grease.  Three to four weeks after the clay was first excavated, the product is complete.

It doesn’t get much more handmade than that.