Black pottery from Latvia

I've a soft spot for for all things ceramic and when I saw this brand new Etsy shop I knew it had to be shared with you on this blog. Since Līga and Krists come from the same region as me it's also a great opportunity to write another post in the random Local Treat series, so without farther ado enjoy the beauties from TePottery!

No glazes or colouring is used and the black surface with a little metalic shine is the result of firing in a woodfired kiln. The final stage involves closing the kiln and letting all the oxigen to burn out. At then the magic happens - the clay turns black. It's one of the oldest methods of clay treatment.

The clay comes from the local fields and is turned into pots and plates like thousands of years ago - only by hands, no potter's wheel or molds have been empoyed. Just clay, hands and fire. Yet it's a time consuming process and it takes at least a month to finish each piece.

For more finished pottery and its creation visit TePottery on Etsy and Flickr.