A Ceramic Country Christmas

Editor’s Choice  |  Ceramics by Amoreena O’Bryon Design

For special occasions, the plate matters just as much as the food on it. 

Tradition meets modern décor with ceramics that showcase the natural world. Ceramics by Amoreena O’Bryon Design, LLC. are not just a piece of functional art, they tell Saratoga’s story as the “City Within the Country.” 

Twenty years ago, while a student at Middlebury College, Amoreena discovered how much she enjoyed working with clay. Born in Italy (where her father sculpts marble and her parents still return for six months a year) Amoreena grew up surrounded by art. 

After meeting her husband, Bill, living in San Francisco and Woodstock, NY, they moved to Saratoga Springs, where she built a successful marketing and design business, and worked for Saratoga agencies, garnering clients including Business for Good, GE Global Research, the American Museum of Natural History, and others.

Good for Goodness’ Sake

Two years ago, Amoreena took a class at the Saratoga Clay Arts Center (SCAC) and fell in love with clay all over again. 

“I’ve always loved designing and making useful, beautiful things,” she said. “I want it to have some kind of purpose. I use graphic design to communicate something, and I make my ceramic pieces to be beautiful but also to serve a function.”

Inspired by work she saw in the center’s Schacht Gallery, Amoreena began practicing the “sgraffito” process, a technique that results in images that are reminiscent of block printing. She begins by painting a black underglaze onto the greenware that is then softly carved away to reveal the color of the clay underneath (and creates the details of the design). 

Dreaming of a White Christmas

The natural motifs of this simple, Scandinavian folk-art style dishware offer modern convenience with a traditional look and feel in a variety of shapes and sizes, making it suitable for any occasion and type of cuisine. 

“I’m riding the wave of that black and white aesthetic that people are really into right now,” said Amoreena. She creates images of birds and animals, including some of the slightly “more edgy” creatures (her snake plates just fly right off her table when she sets up at area markets and craft fairs, she said). 

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

Visually appealing molded designs and painterly animals are also among Amoreena’s collection. She began selling pieces of her ceramic work this past summer at the Block Island, RI farmers’ market table her mother, painter and ceramicist Leslie Hartnett, has operated there for 37 years. Amoreena was also among the rotating selection of ceramic artists at Saratoga’s Second Sunday Market in Saratoga Springs’ Congress Park and recently exhibited at the Opus 40 Fall Faire in Saugerties, NY. 

This season, add country charm to your holiday shopping list. Find Amoreena Ceramics on November 29th, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Saratoga City Center’s Holiday Craft Marketplace; on December 7th, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the LARAC Winter Arts Festival at the Queensbury Hotel; and on December 13th, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Night Work Bread Bakery’s Pop-Up Shop in Ballston Spa. 

In the Spring, find her at the Rotary Club of Saratoga Springs Home & Lifestyle Show’s Artisan Showcase, Feb. 28 – March 1st at the Saratoga City Center. 

For updates, follow @amoreena_ceramics on Instagram. For commissions and more information, visit www.amoreenaceramics.com