Showing posts with label ceramics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ceramics. Show all posts

Monday, August 31, 2009

Morcilla bowls

How to make morcilla?

First catch your pig! Many families keep a pig in a small shed on their land. Foreigners are often horrified when the pig's fate is known, but for older Spaniards, the pig was the only form of meat they would have in the cold winter months, and its value was undeniable.

Between catching your pig and killing it, there are a few steps you need to take and some equipment you'll need to find. One piece of equipment is a bowl which is used to collect the blood, which is then turned into morcilla (black sausage).

The bowls come in all sizes, from 2 feet across (big enough for a Piglet), to 5 feet (big enough for Porky Pig). The bowls are glazed terracotta and have unique regional colours and decorations.

Keeping and killing pigs isn't as popular as it used to be, so the potters who make the bowls have shifted from traditional markets to new ones, including the decorative ceramic sinks below. These are traditional blood bowls but with a hole for the plumbing.

Spanish hand basin. Photograph by Tim Irving
Spanish hand basin. Photograph by Tim Irving
Spanish hand basin. Photograph by Tim Irving

Thursday, May 21, 2009

The Odd Ceramic Tile

Glorious garden wall tile by Eleanor HendriksCeramic tile by Eleanor HendriksSai Baba wall tile from my travels in India
Photograph by Tim IrvingEmbossed ceramic tile, found on demolition site
Photograph by Tim Irving
Terracotta tile from ThailandPhotograph by Tim Irving
I'm always looking for old tiles, even broken ones. An odd tile can add color and beauty to dull corners of a house and garden. When I'm on my travels I usually bring back a tile or two, they make a wonderful momento.

Eleanor Hendriks is an artist who makes odd tiles (the top tile is one of hers). I don't know if she's unique but making odd tiles is very unusual, you can see her work here http://eleanorhendriks.blogspot.com/
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