The Manufacturing
In our family workshops based in central Portugal, each ceramic piece is entirely handmade.
Nélia Patalim® and Antonio Janeiro, in addition to designing traditional patterns, create timeless pieces using modern, minimalist decorations.
They attach great importance to production based on ancestral techniques that is sustainable and fair.
#1 - Shaping
Each piece passes through the skilled hands of the potter.
It is shaped on the potter's wheel or by hand.
For more complex pieces, both techniques may be combined.
Using this ancestral, manual skill, each piece produced will have its own “little flaw,” its own originality, and will be unlike any other.
In this photo, we see Joaquim, from the Nélia Patalim® workshop, turning honey pots.
#2 - Drying
Next comes the open-air drying stage.
This stage will cause the piece to shrink by 10% of its initial size and will last from a few hours in summer to several days in humid weather.
This stage will stabilize the pieces and allow you to see if there is any fragility in the pottery.
#3 - Fine polishing, applying the engobe, and first firing
#4 - Painting
#5 - Glazing
#6 - Final firing
