When I started building my house in San Juan de Oriente, Nicaragua 22 years after arriving there as a Peace Corps Volunteer I did not do so with the intention of creating my own ceramic art studio.
The conditions which lead me to build the house were the over two decades of experiences of learning about the cultural history kept alive by the pottery tradition and supporting the local artisan community in efforts to promote both the tradition and the artwork.
Somewhere in all that time and unique experience in interacting with the artisan community and developing a market place for the the rare pottery art I had subconsciously built up the elements of actually participating in the artistic process.
As we started to pour the concrete on the 2 floor on my new home in the village it hit me like a lightning bolt! That was were I was going to place my own ceramic art studio!
I knew Atlantis was going to be the name of my studio because for years I had been influencing designs and concepts for other artisans that combined native and modern influence together that I would call Atlantis.
As ocean life became a theme with all the colors and connection people had to the sea and creatures who lived there the design ideas expanded.
I started to make connections to the native designs I was discovering in ancient pieces of the region and a growing collection of books focusing on Mesoamerican art where intense rituals around religious beliefs all revolved around the natural environment and observations of the night sky.
Atlantis is my opportunity to create objects that feature these timeless connections between nature and the environment.
Whereas the artistic themes of Atlantis are a guiding light whats defines us as a studio is a complete dedication to an artistic process and quality level that is truly world class.
I did not what to start a pottery studio that create nice work, I started Atlantis Studio to make extraordinary work.
Many times the difference between nice and exceptional work is not immediately distinguishable at a glance or an image. It is the up close details. It is the quality in preparation of the vessel so that the surface is as fine as can be crafted. It is in the details not obvious to the untrained eye.
At 51 years old I now have an opportunity not to create objects that reflect my own unique experiences in life, I have joy of knowing that I have create a studio where I can image and elaborate clay work that further expresses that unique vision and process I have built with Atlantis.
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