Destination: Oaxaca

In October of 2024 I was able to travel to Oaxaca, Mexico. Oaxaca is a region richly rooted in traditional craft. It was inspiring and overwhelming. A highlight for me was learning about the barro negro clay. This is a rich black clay locally mined in Oaxaca. I brought home a mug safely wrapped for its long journey to Lakewood, Ohio.
After my trip I was able to find a black stoneware clay to play with for fun for the flux collection. This clay is produced in Spain so the properties are different but it still provided a great way to use the inspiration from this trip to put a spin on my own mugs in a "Gina" style if you will.