Meet the Maker: Sylvie Master Ceramicist

Sylvie lives in a village high up in the mountains of Oaxaca. The air feels different up there. A crispness. You find your body relaxing and your breath slowing as you take in the rolling green hills. We coincide a trip with a local festival. After a four-hour collectivo ride through winding mountain roads, we arrive. There’s excitement in the air. The women are dressed in the traditional textiles of Tlhauitultepec, a full circle skirt with rik-rak trim and cotton blouses with intricate machine embroidery commonly in black and red.

Sylvie isn’t answering her phone as there is limited reception up this high. We have vague directions to her home, but with no street signs, we’re relying on luck. Luck came in the form of a local young lady, who passing by, surprised to see gringos wandering the streets asked if we needed help. With a population of just under 10,000 people, the town isn’t small, but the community is close, so our friend knows where Sylvie lives.

Upon arrival, Sylvie leads us up to her workshop, above the kitchen, the morning light streaming through the window. Bags of locally collected clay are piled opposite a desk, littered with various tools. A television is placed to the side. Sylvie sets to work, making the process look effortless as decades of experience will do. I am fascinated by her resourceful collections of tools. A mango seed to smooth particular angles, an old toothbrush to create texture.

Like many of the artisans we partner with, we met Sylvie at the markets, her skilled craftsmanship catching our eye.