Sicilian ceramics by Mirella Pipia
Pottery is one of the oldest cultural expressions of Mankind. As far back as the Stone Age it was being done in Sicily. In the time of the Greeks, Sicilian ceramics experienced its first heyday.
Today there are four cities where you can find authentic "Traditional & Artistic Ceramics" as authorized by the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Craft:
Ceramics from these four cities reflect the basic Sicilian colors: Yellow represents the sun, blue the sea, and brown the earth. The designs and motifs are distinctly Sicilian: the sun in the center, fish, sunflowers, lemons, and the Medusa are all on the Sicilian flag. Ceramics from Burgio, Caltagirone, Santo Stefano di Camastra, and Sciacca are known world-wide and are regularly taken home as souvenirs.
Mirella Pipia, ceramics artist
Mirella Pipia is something special.
She is an established master of traditional ceramics.
But for her that is not enough.
Her passion is developing new ceramic techniques. Using these new techniques, Mirella is able to achieve unprecedented levels of detail.
This shows in vases, tiles, plates, albarelli, carafes, and objects of all kinds with a level of artistic quality far above that of tourist souvenirs.
Mirella Pipia is devoted not only to the art of ceramics, but also to pastel painting, watercolors, engraving, etching, and lithography. She also works as a model for her brother, the well-known Sicilian photographer Salvatore Pipia. Salvatore is a student of the famous anti-mafia photographer Letizia Battaglia. Some readers will know her from the Wim Wenders film "Palermo Shooting".
Mirella Pipia lives and works in Bagheria, a suburb of Palermo. It is here that the Carnevale/Grüssner family offer their beautiful seaside apartments. Details can be found in the Apartment section.
The co-owner, Maria Carnevale, is a close friend of Mirella Pipia and is happy to be contacted directly. Maria's passion is interior design, and her plans fit perfectly with Mirella's ceramics. The two together have created spaces that practically don't require any heating. They glow with the heat of Sicily.
Selected works of Mirella Pipia
The images above and following examples of Mirella Pipia's work were photographed by her brother, and cover different exhibitions with their own catalogs:
