Ceramics Made in Venice | Italy
As you may know by now, I am a big pottery lover and over the years I have implemented my very personal collection of hand made ceramics. I believe that the feeling of a handmade cup or plate or whatever object, is so much more intense when it is unique and you know the person behind it. So today I want to introduce you to Francesca Bocus, a local pottery designer with a charming personality and a huge talent. Francesca is a very friendly and sweet soul, very easy to approach and very easy to connect with. Every time I meet her there is a magical exchange, and I also possess quite a few of her works!!!
Her art name is EffeCeramics and she is really the type of small and sustainable local business I would be so happy for you to support. Here below our brief conversation.
1) Francesca, tell us a little something about yourself and how you started your adventure with pottery
I was born in Venice in the Santa Croce area and in junior high school I attended the music conservatory, then in high school I had initially opted for the scientific branch but then changed and studied teacher training, in fact after that I worked in Venice as a teacher in a children's school here while pursuing my degree at the University of Padua and my Master's Degree in Trieste, where I had my first encounter with pottery.
Once finished my studies, I felt the need to go abroad, so I moved to Amsterdam. There I worked teaching women who suffered indoor violence and sex workers. I also enrolled in some pottery classes and was taught by different potters, and I got on particularly well with a lady who had a beautiful studio in Overtoom Street. In that period I was teaching at the International School of Amsterdam and also attended a course to become doula, which turned into a wonderful profession from the human point of view. I loved that job and it allowed me to discover a spiritual part of myself I was unaware of. I met so many incredible people and delved into my deepest self too. The power of giving birth, giving life, creating something. In a way, pottery too has a similar kind of magic and incredible energy.
Anyhow, after a while I wanted to return to my native country (although once back... I was missing my daily habits like biking around the city!). I first went to Sardinia to reach Paolo, a friend of mine. Sardinia too is a place with a spiritual energy and I was lucky to meet some new friends I will treasure forever. I had my baby boy in Sardinia, Ettore, then when he was about 1 year and a half and I was working with my pottery... Covid arrived! This pushed us to return to Venice because life was easier with a child in the lagoon compared to where we were living in Sardinia, far away from everything.
In Venice I was welcomed with open arms and became part of the Bochaleri Association in Giardini di Castello (the local pottery association). I kept teaching part-time until about a year ago, when I made the big step and decided to dedicate my entire self to ceramics and, of course, to Ettore, the two things I love most. Currently I have a small workshop with my own oven in Santa Croce and in addition to creating with my hands, I also give private lessons.
2. Besides the practical reasons, why did you want to return to Venice?
Because I wanted to be close to my family and re-experience the city through new eyes. I also really felt the desire for my son to be able to grow up here, with no cars in a safe and free environment.
3. What do you like most about teaching pottery?
As you can imagine... I like teaching in general, it is a moment of sharing and reciprocal growth and it is incredible to establish human connections. With specific regards to pottery, it makes people's limits and rigidities emerge so through it we can work on them and shape them. It's difficult to explain, but pottery teaches you to accept what life gives us, good and bad.
4. Do you enjoy selling at outdoor markets?
Yes, I love it. It is always a surprise, you never know who you can meet, especially in a city so rich in foreigners!
5. What is the pottery moment or technique you prefer?
I love to create unique pieces, if fact all my creations differ from one another. I enjoy being at the wheel and love the fingertip technique. I also adore porcelain, in fact a lot of my rings are made in such matter. It is very different from working gres. I started porcelain when I was pregnant, it is the Mother of Ceramics, the most ancient and most shapeable.
6. What would you say to a visitor of Venice?
Well... to take their time and stop, not to be in a hurry and unfold its everyday life and the one of its inhabitants. To go beyond San Marco and Rialto (in a metaphorical sense), to see that this city is alive, how Venetians live and how much we -who have decided to stay despite the high cost of life and other difficulties- feel undetachable from it. After all it is the heartbeat of inhabitants that make a city ... without us it wouldn't be the same, as we wouldn't be the same without Venice.
I am so grateful for the time Francesca dedicated to me, I am a huge fan of her work and of her personality. You can meet her at the Bochaleri when there are pottery events, but you can also contact her to discover her creations and order/commission some work.
EffeCeramics Francesca Bocus
Websit: https://www.effeceramics.com/
Email: bocusfrancesca@gmail.com
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