I Love Ceramica
I Love Ceramica. Shared Passion for Ceramic Art Blossomed Into a Beautiful Friendship Between Three Roman Artisans
Discovering the magical connection with clay, Luisa, Maria Flora and Maria Grazia became life-long friends and opened a pottery studio to share their art with the world.
Tranquil and peaceful, the neighborhood of Monteverde is filled with the sweetest scent of the wisteria blossom. As you wander the streets, you can notice that every little house has a garden full of blooming flowers. Right in front of the rufous wall covered in dozens of cone-shaped panicles in all shades of purple, you will find the cozy pottery studio run by three lovely Italian ladies: Luisa, Maria Flora, and Maria Grazia.
“That beautiful wisteria tree is actually a part of my garden.” – says Maria Flora Clementelli, self-taught ceramic artisan.
And in fact gardens, plants and nature have always been a source of inspiration for Maria Flora, who has been reproducing them in ceramics for years. She discovered ceramics as a hobby when she was a young girl and later fell in love with the craft. A devoted artisan, she believes that clay is a wonderful material that not only gives freedom of expression but also teaches the importance of control and patience. It takes hours of work at the potter’s wheel, skilled fingers and a good dose of enthusiasm to produce something beautiful from a piece of clay.
As you enter the small studio, the pots on the shelves, the ceramic jars, the colourful clay figures, the brushes and other modelling tools covered in clay, together with the earthy scent of clay, create a unique and uplifting atmosphere. Watching clay being transformed in the hands of skilled masters is indeed, as Maria Flora says, hypnotic and therapeutic.
Passing on this fine art is an everlasting goal for Maria Flora and meeting Luisa helped her to realise it.
“I always taught pottery in schools to kids, and that’s where I met Luisa.” – Maria Flora smiles as she greets her friend and colleague Luisa Raggi, also a ceramist, who trained at the Art Institute in Rome to become a professional ceramic artist and teacher.
Luisa met Maria Flora in 2014, working with children in one of Rome’s middle schools. The two immediately bonded over their passion for ceramics and many other interests, including a love for cats. Sharing their experiences and helping each other learn more about their craft, Luisa and Maria Flora developed a meaningful friendship, which eventually led them to found a pottery association as they began teaching pottery to students after class.
In 2016, the association actively participated in many public activities on behalf of the school. The artisans began exhibiting their creative works in various art exhibitions.
“As we continued to develop our skills, hosting our own art exhibition was one of the bigger future goals” – says Luisa, as she reminisces about the first time they got to work with Maria Grazia.
In 2018, Maria Flora and Luisa met Maria Grazia Morsella, a professional painter, decorator and ceramic artist, who at that time curated exhibitions at “Italart” Gallery in Rome. Back then, Maria Grazia was actively involved in studying ceramic arts, as it was a new direction she wanted to pursue in her artistic journey. In 2017, she obtained a master degree in ceramic techniques at the School of Art of Maestra Daniela Vacca.
Shortly after, all three artisans became even closer and by the end of the same year, Maria Grazia officially joined the association and became an equal contributor.
For example, their most recent exhibition “GattoMondo” combined works produced by all three artisans, expressing their affection towards their favorite pets: cats.
