November, 2020
MEXICO CITY
Diario takes two popular ceramic items, maintaining their distinctive essence and shape. Both are produced in a local workshop with high quality materials and finishes.
Diario Ceramics
Pottery can be described as the art of turning soil into clay, transforming its properties with fire.
Clay pieces are made around Mexico and each region has its own aesthetics, which depends on the soil of the area, their traditions and possibilities.
On the other hand, there are some utilitarian objects made of clay that have been replicated in different areas due to its functionality and cultural love, being personalized and locally produced with different shapes, colors and clays, like the famous Jarrito.
Furthermore, thanks to its great properties, clay objects are used for cooking like the comales, ollas and pots or as tableware items, including plates, bowls and cups. These handmade pieces are sold at the weekly market where the variety of colors and shapes from different makers can be appreciated.
Local workshop
These versions are developed in two places: Marco’s workshop and Ricardo and Rubén’s workshop in Mexico City, using stoneware and a molding process. The beauty of this production process is that all the pieces are handmade carefully and precisely.
Marco is a master mold maker from Mexico City who has worked with multiple artists, ceramists and designers due to his impressive attention to detail. He produced the plaster casts and molds that were used later on Ricardo and Ruben’s workshop.
The story of Ricardo and Ruben’s small workshop started in the early 60’s.
“My dad Rubén, who has 60 years of experience in ceramics, started his career as a porcelain decorator; later he learned how to work with ceramics, understanding the production process which became his passion and journey”. Ricardo says.
Ricardo and Ruben’s workshop opened its doors in 1970 and the processes have changed since then. They started producing sinks, some of them decorated and some others at semi-industrial level.
Ricardo told us that he and his brother have always been immersed in the ceramics world; they played as kids in the workshop and when he finished his bachelor’s degree started working full-time next to his dad at the family business.
They are always looking for perfection which is achieved thanks to Ruben’s experience and Ricardo’s knowledge based on new technologies that can be adapted to the production process.
They have created their own finishes, colors and textures for everyday objects and cookware. Their process is unique and they are very proud of all the things that have achieved together through the years.
El Cantarito
“El Cantarito” is a popular item from the Mexican popular culture used to contain and transport water. This object is illustrated in the traditional Mexican board game “La Lotería”, alongside other Mexican items or characters, like El diablito o La Catrina.
The shape of “El Cantarito” in La Lotería is quite whimsical but very distinctive. Diario translates this cartoonish shape and creates a practical jug, where all its components are functional and needed, avoiding any aesthetic whim. The jug can contain water, aguas frescas, juice or any other drink.
El Jarrito
There are some clay objects that are directly associated with a specific drink or food, like the famous “Jarrito”, which is a small container to drink your café de la olla, a traditional Mexican drink made with cinnamon, piloncillo and other species.
The “Jarrito” is an utilitarian object that has been part of the Mexican culture for centuries; thanks to its rounded shape and smooth curves, invites you to take it in your hands, allowing you to smell and taste all the flavours of your drink, which is kept warm by the smaller neck.
This traditional cup has several versions around the country, some of them have beautiful hand painted flowers or a black glazed edge while some others are simply clay.
Diario takes this traditional cup and creates a new one that respects the subtle shape, maintaining its essence and it is produced in a local workshop with high quality materials and finishes.
There is the version for coffee or tea and a smaller version for mezcal, the ancient Mexican beverage.
Both Jarritos have a glossy glazed edge that juts out above the matte glaze. This contrasting detail is taken from the vernacular ones where the glossy glaze makes the object more resistant only where it is needed, which is the edge and interior, facilitating its cleaning and durability.
