arts Abroad
Pottery Island In the hilltop homes and tiny beach towns of Sifnos, Greek potters carry on family traditions
By V e r a Ma r i e Ba d e r t s c h e r
tone steps climb the steep with a bright silk scarf tied around soil of the island. The popularity of hills covered with little its neck. this rough earthenware, keramika, white houses. Sifnos house- Famous for excellent chefs, classic peaked in the 18th century, but as A sign for the Atsonios pottery studio will S guide you in the right direction, opposite. wives outline the flagstones on the Cycladic architecture and a profu- gas and electric replaced the aroma An abstract vase on the top shelf in their narrow paths and sketch daisies with sion of churches, the Greek island of wood smoke in kitchens, alumi- workshop was inspired by a stack of whitewash. Scarlet geraniums and of Sifnos also answers to “Island of num pans pushed aside clay pots. traditional pots, left. Outside, the door to the Atsonioses’ house-sized kiln is sealed electric purple bougainvillea cas- Potters.” At one time, every kitchen The new millennium has seen a off by old pots and clay. Antonis Atsonios cade from a tall, ridged pot once in the Aegean depended on heat- resurgence of interest in traditional Famous for by stacks of pottery cemented in demonstrates his grandfather’s foot- used for olive oil. Another stately resistant cooking pots from Sifnos, crafts and culinary techniques, fuel- with clay. A pit starts in front of powered wheel, below. vessel stands sentinel at a doorway, shaped from the special siliceous clay ing the resurgence of Sifnos kera- excellent chefs, the building and extends under the mika. The work is quite affordable, classic architecture wall, heating the house-sized kiln usually ranging from 5 Euros for a and a profusion of with a wood fire. The tiny hilltop communities of Sifnos, small plate or bowl to 150 Euros for Out of this kiln comes red-brown Greece, boast beautiful ocean views a large, complex piece. Since crafts- churches, Sifnos cookware like Antonis’s grandfather and a rich history of pottery. men generally sell their wares only in also answers to made—mastelno (a soup pot), tsoukali their own shops, browsing for plates “Island of Potters.” (a casserole dish) and youvetsi (a stew and bowls provides a good excuse to pot)—but also modern, colorfully explore the laid-back island. glazed mugs, bowls, plates and plat- clay into rough rounds. He then ters. Because of changing demand n the beach town of Vathy, a steep smoothes them into pots and bowls from buyers, only about 20 percent I nail-biting dirt track leads down on an electric-powered pottery of the Atsonioses’ current output to a cluster of historic white build- wheel. Once outside, Antonis tells fits the definition of “traditional,” ings where Antonis Atsonios and his the story of when electricity came although many modern pieces son Giannis work a stone’s throw to Vathy in the 1960s. Grinning, he clearly evolved from old forms. A from the bay. Only five other island kicks off a sandal and demonstrates flaros, which former generations workshops can trace a dedication to the wobbly wooden foot-powered used to catch embers in a chimney, pottery back five generations. wheel used by papous mou (my now serves as a patio light. Like other traditional area pot- grandfather), its structure changed ters, Antonis collects his own clay, little from the Greek Archaic period round the gentle curve of testing its plasticity and cohesion (625-500 B.C.). A Vathy beach, two sisters work by squeezing a clump between In a whitewashed building the to establish some traditions of their his fingers. Giannis coils strips of size of a one-room house, the potter own. Maria and Flora Markou
MATT BARRETT/WWW.GREECETRAVEL.COM MATT the sifted, soaked and sun-dried points out two doorways closed off took up a mostly male profession.
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arts abroad CHARLES SMITH POTTERY BY DESIGN
Maria Markou, shown above in her Vathy workshop, studied under renowned Sifnos potter Kostas Depastas, whose work is shown at right.
They studied with Sifnos’s preemi- 251.432.3705 | www.smith-pots.com nent potter, Kostas Depastas, whose primitive workshop sits next to one of the two seaside taverns in the tiny town of Cheronissos. People come from many countries to study with Flora says that although they make a Flora stresses that they keep the the old master. few old designs, “We want to make designs simple, as did the historic The Markou sisters use imported some things that are only our ideas.” craftsmen who adorned their pot- clay to produce non-functional pieces Their interpretation of the ancient tery with only a few white loops, like a playful yellow sun plaque, or flaros is a deep-blue, egg-shaped like those pavement daisies. “We tiles adorned with Minoan boys. candle cover. use natural colors in the glaze. And usually only one color because that
If you go helps you see the form,” she says.
ifnos (also spelled Siphnos) is in the center of the Cyclades islands, he hope is that the traditional Ssouth of Athens. Ferry schedules vary according to the time of year, but T techniques that make Sifnos a high-speed boat takes about three hours from Piraeus (the port of Athens) keramika so special will continue to to Kamares, the main port of Sifnos. Travelers get around Sifnos by rental car live on, even as the potters adapt to or via the bus system. Taxis are also available at the port. The hot months of modern times. When asked if he is July and August are high tourist season, with more frequent buses and concerned that younger craftspeo- ferries, along with more people. In the months of March through June and in ple will stop making the traditional earthenware, Antonis Atsonios September and October, you will find fewer crowds and lovely weather. shrugs and smiles. “If people like it,” Potters are spread out throughout the villages in Sifnos. Look for signs he says, “they will make it.” l that say “keramika.” Some even advertise in English as “ceramics” or “pottery.”
For more information on Sifnos, visit www.sifnos.e-sifnos.com, or more Vera Marie Badertscher, a general websites like www.igogreece.com, www.gnto.gr (the Greek National freelance writer from Tucson, Ariz., travels Tourism Organization), or Matt Barrett’s www.greektravel.com. —V.M.B. frequently to write about the arts, among other topics.
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