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Walter Usai

  • The glazed ceramic jug is inspired by the skillfully crafted and original interpretation of the traditional Sardinian cult instrument, used for celebration purposes.

  • Glazed ceramic ring-shaped amphora. The shape is inspired by the traditional crafsmanship production, reinterpreting a model of Roman origin.

  • This coffee set and sugar bowl with essential lines is lathe shaped in glossy white glazed ceramic combined in delicate contrast with the matte brown of glazed clay.

  • These hand-crafted and decorated pots are made of many-coloured glazed ceramic. The pot is called gallinella, being a formal synthesis of the stylized fowl, shaped to make pouring easier.

  • The playful use of colours, in its many captivating chromatic variations, characterises these terracotta dishes that revisit the typical pottery of local tradition with simple shapes.

The artisan

Walter is the son and the grandson of two well-known Assemini figuli potters, Elvio and Efisio, respectively. The family tradition is preserved in his Assemini workshop, located in the town center, specialized in the manufacture of lathe-moulded terracotta pottery. He knows the secrets of crafting and he is part of local tradition. His style is characterized by a confident expertise, typical of someone who knows tradition and dares to change. Interesting aesthetic results, clean and balanced, offering traditional artefacts, expressing love for tradition and contemporary research. Well known within the most exclusive exhibition and sale circles of handmade pottery, he offers a production that tells a story of passionate dedication to the family. The studio is still frequented by his father, who works on a lathe, with an anthropological and ethnographic value.

The collection

Walter Usai's production is characterized by the desire to give continuity to the contemporary and traditional ceramics of Assemini. He offers a varied collection of decorative items and tableware. Containers, plates, vases, jugs and pouring vessels are imbued with sophisticated  patterns of traditional objects on which the craftsman adds glazes and tin-glazes, both monochrome and with graphic colours, which provide the artifacts with a contemporary touch.

The technique

In his workshop, artifacts are shaped on a lathe and ten decorated with a graffito technique, adding hand-made elements. Ceramic surfaces are coated with slips, glazes and bright tin-glazes, undergoing several firings, in gas or electric kilns. Enamels are made of non-toxic materials since they are intended as food containers.

More details on the Mediterranean Crafts Archive

To get to know the territory, the techniques and the tools, visit the relevant section.

Where to find them

Indirizzo:
Ceramiche Walter Usai Via Carmine, 221 09032 Assemini (CA)

E-mail: usaiwalter_1973@libero.it

Telefono: +39 (0)70 941348 - +39 339 3411051

Sito web: www.usaiwalter.it