Studio Diary

This is where I leave you

Jul 30, 2025Elisabetta Lombardo

This blog post first appeared on my Substack newsletter, where I write about clay, ceramics, historical pots and the role of clay in our culture. Make sure to subscribe here. ---------- Artists have been flocking to Skagen, a small town in the north of Denmark, because of the light. Days are long here in the summer. The constant winds carry sand inland to shape the dunes, in a perpetual movement. I sit on the white Scandinavian couch in a cottage a few steps from the beach and observe the gree…

Speckled glaze study

Feb 7, 2025Elisabetta Lombardo

My goal was to understand the difference between coarse red iron oxide and ilmenite in the way they form speckles. Ilmenite is a mineral which contains iron and titanium. When used coarse and when not ground into the glaze or clay body, it will create speckles. Coarse red iron oxide has a similar effect. When a glaze is not properly mixed, red iron oxide will create speckles, but in this case it was intentional. The key to making a speckled glaze is to only the sieve the glaze before the speck…

A study in pink: study on tin chrome pink glazes

Jan 31, 2025Elisabetta Lombardo

If you have ever tried to make just the right shade of pink glaze, you know how tricky it can be. In the past couple of months, I have been testing out a variety of recipes and variations and while I eventually got close to my goal, I wanted to run a little study on the mix of tin and chrome in glazes. My goal with the initial recipe was to create a pink variation of my icy blue glaze: a soft, pastel, transparent-looking pink that I can use on delicate porcelain pieces with embossed details. T…

A study in pink: study on tin chrome pink glazes

My 5 tips for hand-building with porcelain

Jan 21, 2025Elisabetta Lombardo

Porcelain is a very special material in the ceramics world. Some fear it, some are obsessed with it. I love porcelain because of the canvas it offers for glazes: they look amazing on a pure white background. That said, porcelain is a difficult material to work with, especially for hand-building. While there is a lot to be said, below are my top 5 tips for hand-building with porcelain. Not all porcelain clay bodies are created equal, so test a variety of them before making a big purchase. Some…

My 5 tips for hand-building with porcelain

The Ceramics of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy: the functional ceramics of Hobbits: A look at the ceramics made for the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy in a broader context

Nov 29, 2024Elisabetta Lombardo

This post is shared from my Substack newsletter, "Notes of a ceramic artist". This is to give you an idea of the content I publish for my subscribers. If you are interested in ceramics, history and the intersection of ceramic and our culture, you will be right at home. Most of the content is free, but you can support me by becoming a paid subscriber. This article is the first in a small series in which we will examine the ceramics that feature in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. We will lo…

The Ceramics of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy: the functional ceramics of Hobbits: A look at the ceramics made for the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy in a broader context

"but is it ART?" exhibition at Kleistone Studio in Berlin

Nov 23, 2024Elisabetta Lombardo

You will have the chance to see my work up close at the exhibition ""but is it ART?" exhibition at Kleistone Studio in Berlin, until Friday November 29th. The exhibition challenges the division between arts and crafts. Info on the poster below and on the studio's website.

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