Lucia Volentieri

Ceramicist

©Stephen Roach

A joyous medley of influences

Lucia is a master ceramicist running a workshop in the Chianti area of Tuscany
A tireless experimenter, she works with ceramics, porcelain and metals
Her Paesaggio Modulare pieces attract loyal collectors worldwide

Born into a family of blacksmiths, since her early years, Lucia Volentieri found joy and life in working with ceramics. She is not able to explain the reason behind this attraction, but the fact is that she turned away from her family's blacksmithing tradition and – after art and scenography studies – opened her ceramic workshop and married her craft. Lucia has dipped in and out of study, research and experimentation throughout her life in pursuit of new techniques, styles and inspiration from other masters. She is a recognised master artisan herself, and today has a loyal line of followers who visit her bottega in Chianti. Her creations are simple, delicate vases, raku-inspired objects, as well as metal sculptures.

Interview

©Stephen Roach

©Stephen Roach

What led you to becoming a ceramicist?: I always found joy and life in working with ceramics. I decided not to be directly involved in my family's blacksmithing business because I felt a life calling to express my own creativity, and so I did.
Did you learn from a master?: My education was not strictly linear. I studied art and scenography, then I completed my apprenticeship in a local bottega and finally opened my own workshop. I soon took up studying again, meeting several master ceramicists in Spain and in Italy. A residency in Japan consolidated my interest in minimalism.
Is there anything specific that sparks your creativity?: Curiosity and experimentation. I love to understand how different techniques work and I never stop testing new ones. The spark is always an idea, then I start drawing and modelling by hand. Usually I end up shaping simple, linear objects, but sometimes I can be a bit baroque too.
What is your Paesaggio Modulare (modular landscape) project all about?: I started almost 40 years ago, when I had the idea of creating modular, collectible pieces. I applied this concept to the Tuscan landscape, handmaking 5,3 cm cube modules, each unique. Today, collectors love to assemble their own Tuscan landscape at home.

Lucia Volentieri is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1987