“Keeping a secret does not mean not passing on the teaching, it means making sure that the student knows how to earn it!”
Our school was born from a true story, experienced inside the traditional workshops of Caltagirone. It was there that, in 1960, the founder began to learn classic ceramic techniques, the same ones used since the post-earthquake period of 1693: a living artistic heritage, which continues to be passed down through the generations.
During his training, Francesco Navanzino refined the fundamental skills for every ceramist:
– Ornamental techniques, which teach how to decorate surfaces with harmonious and complex motifs;
– Plasticized ceramics, or the manual modeling of three-dimensional shapes such as Moor's heads, lumiere, albarelli and other iconic objects;
– Baroque decoration in classic colors: blue, yellow and green, typical of the so-called 17th century decoration;
– Preparation and use of self-produced glazes and clays worked in the laboratory, knowledge that distinguishes those who truly create from those who simply decorate pre-packaged pieces.
In our teaching method these teachings are not just technical notions, but tools for developing a creative identity.
We believe that tradition should not be copied, but understood and transformed. Even our contemporary objects speak the language of tradition: the ancient gesture can be read in every new form.
