Earthworks Pottery

After yet another day of rain, we decided on Friday to take a taxi to Earthworks, a renowned business on the island that has been growing since the 1970's. Their wares are sold in all of the gift shops on the island, but I was eager to see the studio where all these beautiful works of art are made.

We actually tried to go last year, but arrived a half hour after they closed for the day on a Saturday. So this time, we were successful and it was very much worth the ride.

I am not sure what is more astounding, the product they produce - or the place where they produce it. Here are a few shots of the building, which quickly explain what I mean:

There is no poultry theme, I promise, but this guy was definitely posing.

I must not have had my camera with me last year, or I would surely have taken these pictures
outside the place.  A never-ending supply of pottery would sure come in handy, but the design prowess and the creativity displayed in all of these surfaces was really something else!

These are the steps leading from the car park to the studio. 

This is the wall in the upper car park.

This is the side of the building next to the entrance.

This is actually an interior wall, facing the tables that hold the moulds.

With an outside as incredible as this, it almost seems anti-climactic to show the wares that are housed inside, although there are aisles and aisles of them. And it is very difficult to choose what you like best.  I did take a couple of pictures of some of the shelves, but it was actually hard to move back enough to get them in. The place was hopping! While my friend Jane and I spent our time trying to choose our favourite pieces, our husbands got an impromptu tour of the facility from one of the glazers. There is real pride among the people who create these pieces. And they are 100% Bajan - Bajan clay, Bajan design, Bajan labour. I think the whole island is proud.

The shelves go from floor to ceiling.

And the array of beautiful wares is quite overwhelming. 

In every shop where the pottery is displayed around the island, there is a mixture of many of the different designs. They all look amazing together so every shopper is hard pressed to choose where to begin a collection. Do you go with a favourite design, or just mix and match all of them?

To give you a taste, here is a link to their designs page of their website. Yes indeed-y, thanks to technology, should you fall hopelessly in love with any of their pieces, you can order anything you like and have it shipped anywhere you like. They love custom orders and one couple we met are contemplating a custom sink for their powder room at home. I guess anything's possible!

I did pick up a few pieces and started my personal collection with two coffee mugs that will allow us to feel like we are having coffee in Barbados every morning. Since the cost of shipping really ups the price, I have convinced myself that it far more cost effective to just come back every year and take home a couple of pieces LOL.

It's easy to see how people who love this island have two kinds of days:

the days in Barbados
and
the days till Barbados