In a world saturated with mass-produced goods, there’s a resurgence underway—one that champions the timeless beauty and authenticity of handmade art. Each piece carries within it a narrative of tradition, crafted with dedication and love. From the meticulous process that demands time and skill to the unmistakably unique appearance born from human hands, handmade art transcends mere decoration. It embodies a lasting value that resonates far beyond trends, inviting us to cherish the stories woven into every brushstroke, stitch, and mold. All of this and more is just the beginning to why you should buy handmade art.
Montelupo Handmade Pottery
Montelupo Fiorentino, just outside of Florence and down the Road from Vinci–Where Leonardo Da Vinci was born, has been a ceramics hub since medieval times, renowned for its rich clay. Renaissance merchants traded Tuscan pottery, cementing its prestige. Today, Montelupo remains pivotal in Italian ceramics, with artisans dedicated to quality. Originally a military fortress, Montelupo’s ceramic legacy started with medieval majolica, flourishing in the Renaissance. Despite decline, the tradition revived in the 20th century, becoming the region’s economic backbone. Over 120 companies produce terracotta and majolica pieces, blending tradition with contemporary techniques. When you buy pottery that says “Made in Italy” you have a 90% chance that it came from this small town, even through large retailers like Crate & Barrel or Pottery Barn.
On a recent trip to this small town, Clayton (my husband) and I fell in love with the pieces made in the area. There are a handful of different craftsmen all who have been doing this for generations and are even teaching tourists how to get their hands dirty and make perfectly imperfect pieces of pottery for their own collections (Possibly worth less to buyers, but they mean the most to us!)
La Galleria Montelupo takes you step by step through the process of making their clay, hand building every single piece they make, firing it, glazing it, and hand painting intricate scenes. From there you’ll also get to see their showroom with all the different pieces they offer (and fall in love with too many handmade pieces to afford) and then make your way back to their main street shop to throw on the wheel with one of the greats, Salvatore.
Why Buying Handmade is an Investment
“Convention is not a bad thing. There are reasons why things come to be a certain way, and often good ones. That is not always the case, though. Take mass-produced furniture. These designs are compromised, mostly of straight lines because of the limitations of the machines, producing them, and the cost associated with doing anything of a more handcrafted nature, where you have more freedom of line. dynamic interior needs movement and curves, as well as straight lines, yet there is normally a distinct lack of the former because of manufacturing constraints. We don’t always have the luxury of breaking convention, but it is good to be aware of of how something has come to be a certain way to question whether that it’s actually how you like it.”
-Beata Heuman, Every Room Should Sing
Watching the process of pottery being made and understanding not only the steps but time and skill that goes into it transformed my understanding of buying handmade. We’re so used to seeing commercial manufactured goods made by machines with the lowest cost materials to keep our costs as consumers down. But when you choose to use high quality materials the cost goes up. Add to it the amount of time and craftsmanship that it requires to create and the price increases again. And while pottery looks easy, it’s only because you’re watching someone who’s done it for 10,000 hours do it. When it’s it your turn to sit by the wheel and throw a simple bowl yourself, you realize just how difficult this art form is.
Picasso’s Reasoning For Pricing Handmade Art
Legend has it that Picasso was at a Paris market when an admirer approached and asked if he could do a quick sketch on a paper napkin for her. Picasso politely agreed, promptly created a drawing, and handed back the napkin — but not before asking for a million Francs.
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The lady was shocked: “How can you ask for so much? It took you five minutes to draw this!”
“No”, Picasso replied, “It took me 40 years to draw this in five minutes.”
We’re used to buying art in places like Target and Home Goods, where mass produced pieces can be made more efficiently and on the cheap. Then to go find a piece by a local artist that we fall in love with, the sticker price can be overwhelming. But the cost of materials and time to create that piece and the fact that there aren’t millions of reproductions of it throughout the world, changes the way we look at the value (not just the price of it.)
Price Vs. Value
Recently, my parents went to Los Cabos Mexico to visit a friend who’s place we stayed at a few years before. While we were there we stumbled upon the greatest little pottery shop and bought two mugs that have become our favorite. Since they would be in the area, we wanted them to buy two more in a different design. These mugs for us have the best feel, are a prefect size, and we can’t find anything like them anywhere else. There is something magical about their handmade details that no major retailer could ever replicate. My parents were shocked to hear they were $35 a piece when you can get a mug for $5 at Target, albeit a much larger one too! But to us, the value of these mugs is worth the price. We love the story that comes with them, we love the handmade art on them, we love supporting a small artist, and most importantly, the size and feel of them is something that doesn’t come in massed produced pieces.
Buying Handmade Wall Art
As an artist I see the time, skill, and thought that goes into these types of pieces. I know that it takes me hours upon hours to finish a painting let alone a collection. And it’s not just the time sitting at the easel putting paint to paper. It’s the 20 different thumbnail sketches to come up with the right vantage point and layout. It’s the digital test drawing I did to lay everything out and figure out the color palette. Then there’s the printing of that line drawing and tracing it onto high quality watercolor paper (that is anything but cheap!) and this doesn’t include the hours of research on light, shape, color or the practicing of random drawing in my sketchbook to continue to improve my skills as an artist and storyteller.
There is a process that goes into anything handmade. Whether you’re making bread, throwing a pot, painting a picture, or sewing your own clothes. It takes time and attention. There are so many little details and skills that go into these creations that make them uniquely their own, and something you won’t find anywhere else.
The Lost Art of Handmade
Handmade art has become a lost art of it’s own, but it’s on the rise, fighting it’s way back. As a lover of all things slow, it’s something I’m trying to be mindful of too. Supporting local and small artists. Investing in pieces that will stand the test of time and potentially be passed on to our children. And knowing that every piece of handmade art (even small production prints like Modern Magic’s!) is a piece of magic I get to have in my home. One that offers the chance to tell a story, one that shows that perfection isn’t the point, and of course is a small something that brings joy to my everyday.
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