Flying Beauty

To produce this marvelous ceramic decorative vase, Luis Alberto Gutiérrez follows the same procedures his ancestors did, including the use of pulverized stone mixed with clay and water to produce all natural colors. Raised in a town on the Nicoya Peninsula where pottery has been made in much the same way for hundreds of years, the Costa Rican artisan says that when learning his craft he, 'had the help of many of my relatives who would give me their advice.' The petite globe vase is black and is painstakingly decorated by hand with a design featuring a butterfly surrounded by rows of abstract and geometric shapes.