Sara Federici
Ceramicist
Florence, Italy
The rippling of clay
- Sara is a self-taught ceramicist inspired by the forms and colours of nature
- Her pieces are characterised by unique glazes and a dynamic sense of movement
- She specialises in making tableware, lighting and vases
Wavy seas, windswept fields and clouded skies emerge in the decorative ceramic objects shaped by Sara Federici. Created in her atelier in central Florence, her vases, lamps and tableware are inspired by the raw tactility of nature and a desire to make things. “I felt a strong calling to create with my hands from a young age,” she says. Sara’s artistic practice with clay began as a hobby just after she turned 30, when she bought a potter’s wheel and taught herself through books and videos. Over time, she left her teaching profession and devoted herself entirely to the craft, turning the hobby into a full-time career. Sara also teaches ceramics internationally and has exhibited her pieces at major ceramic fairs in Italy and France.
INTERVIEW
I am focused on an approach that highlights clean lines and essentialism. I am interested in the form itself. I only use delicate and natural colours, which never overwhelm the form, but rather help to enhance it.
My signature style centres on subtle texture, achieved through etching, incising and even carving stoneware and porcelain. I handmake my slips and glazes to create natural hues that complement rather than overpower the detailed texture of the lines.
The slips and glazes are lead-free and made with unique glaze mixes or recipes that bring out a range of natural colours and hues. None of these recipes include the standard industrial colours of slips or glazes that can be bought from a catalogue.
I do not have a formal ritual. When I am between commissioned pieces, my sole consistent practice is simply to be present, engage with the clay, and let the creative process evolve organically. In this way, the studio space itself becomes my ritual.
