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©Michele Hickey Gemin
©Michele Hickey Gemin
©Michele Hickey Gemin
©Michele Hickey Gemin
©Michele Hickey Gemin

Michele Hickey Gemin

  • LAM Ceramica
  • Ceramicist
  • Venice, Italy
  • Master Artisan
Michele Hickey Gemin Ceramicist
Contact
Italian, English
Hours:
By appointment only
Phone:
+39 3441647036
©Michele Hickey Gemin

From cakes to ceramics

  • • Michele is a former cake designer turned ceramicist
  • • Her creations are functional objects with minimal design
  • • Her technique combines wheel throwing and hand building

"No matter what craft you choose, once you have learned to use your hands, you will always be able to do it." This is Michele Hickey Gemin’s theory, based on her own experience. With a Bachelor in Fine Arts from F.I.T. in New York City, her hometown, Michele worked as a cake designer for years, before moving to London and working on a cookie business. When her husband’s profession led the family to Krakow, Michele discovered ceramics. Intrigued by the local tradition, she found a master artisan in town and began to take wheel-throwing lessons, coming to the conclusion that shaping clay was not so different from shaping cake dough. Her training was completed in Venice, where she finally settled and opened her workshop, LAM Ceramica. Here, she creates ceramic objects for everyday use, characterised by a minimal, sculptural design in neutral colours and attractive textures.

Read the full interview

Works

  • ©Michele Hickey Gemin
  • ©Michele Hickey Gemin
  • ©Michele Hickey Gemin
  • ©Michele Hickey Gemin
  • ©Michele Hickey Gemin
Photo: ©Michele Hickey Gemin
Galline oil and vinegar bottles

Each of the bottles was made with a series of wheel thrown shapes: semi-spheres and cones that were then combined to create the final form. They are finished in a white matte glaze on the exterior and a clear glaze on the interior and would be perfect for oil, vinegar or soy sauce. Each has a small cork stopper.

Photo: ©Michele Hickey Gemin
Hmmph teapot

This teapot was wheel thrown in several different pieces and then hand assembled. The form tilts back just enough to give the piece a bit of character without interfering with its function. The exterior is finished in a white matte glaze and a round cork has been used in place of a traditional lid.

Photo: ©Michele Hickey Gemin
Svezia carafe and Petra carafe

Both Svezia and Petra carafes were wheel thrown in several different pieces, then assembled by hand. Each was made from two cones with a central semi-sphere. They are left unglazed on the exterior, but glazed on the interior. The Petra carafe is hand carved, creating a texture that resembles roughly hewn wood. The Svezia carafe is smoothly finished and does not have a handle.

Photo: ©Michele Hickey Gemin
Altem vase

Thrown in four separate parts then assembled by hand, this vase stands 32 cm tall. It was made in stoneware and left unglazed on the exterior but fully glazed on the interior, making it perfect to hold a single stem flower, though it also stands beautifully on its own.

Photo: ©Michele Hickey Gemin
Mondo candlesticks

Here is a series of wheel thrown cones and semi-spheres that have been connected to create a pair of asymmetrical candlesticks. They are made in stoneware and left unglazed to emphasise their form.

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