For over 800
years, hand-thrown pottery has been an artistic
tradition handed down from generation to
generation originating from the indigenous
Chorotega Indians. In the town of Guaitil,
located on the Nicoya Peninsula, Arbin Espinosa
Guevara was handed down this tradition from his
own mother at the age of 10 and since then, has
been practicing this folkloric craft of pottery
making.
Here in Tamarindo, Arbin displays and sells his pottery at his gallery/workshop Guaitil Pottery Studio, where as he explains, opened up his shop “so that our visitors could have the opportunity to see pre-Columbian pottery and to learn how it has been made for the last 800 years. The Chorotega Indians is a part my Costa Rican history and this art represents their culture.”
Guevara and his artists hand form the pottery pieces without any electrical wheels or tools as the Indians had done themselves. The clay mud comes from San Vicente, a town next to Guatil, and has historically been found in the mountains. Different colors of sand are grounded to clay with a mortar and pestle and then used as paint on the pottery before it is fired. The artistic designs are created to replicate pre-Columbian designs that have their own symbolic meanings.
Guaitil studio is part gallery and part workshop, and on any given day (except when the waves are good), you can find Arbin in the workshop creating new pieces. Recently, he has added pottery classes for anyone who wants to learn how to make pottery pieces of their choice. “The best way for people to learn about this art is through making it with their own hands. They need to feel the clay in their hands in order to understand the art” says Arbin.
Here in Tamarindo, Arbin displays and sells his pottery at his gallery/workshop Guaitil Pottery Studio, where as he explains, opened up his shop “so that our visitors could have the opportunity to see pre-Columbian pottery and to learn how it has been made for the last 800 years. The Chorotega Indians is a part my Costa Rican history and this art represents their culture.”
Guevara and his artists hand form the pottery pieces without any electrical wheels or tools as the Indians had done themselves. The clay mud comes from San Vicente, a town next to Guatil, and has historically been found in the mountains. Different colors of sand are grounded to clay with a mortar and pestle and then used as paint on the pottery before it is fired. The artistic designs are created to replicate pre-Columbian designs that have their own symbolic meanings.
Guaitil studio is part gallery and part workshop, and on any given day (except when the waves are good), you can find Arbin in the workshop creating new pieces. Recently, he has added pottery classes for anyone who wants to learn how to make pottery pieces of their choice. “The best way for people to learn about this art is through making it with their own hands. They need to feel the clay in their hands in order to understand the art” says Arbin.
Once you have
picked out the specific piece you would like to
make, Arbin will teach you how to form the
piece and prepare it for painting. He then
fires it in the oven and then it is ready once
its cooled.
For more
information about the pottery classes, you can
either stop by the gallery, which is located in
the Tamarindo Circle next to La Caracola
Restaurant or call Arbin at (506) 2653-2005.
Arbin@TamarindoPottery.com
Arbin@TamarindoPottery.com
