Sienna Orlando-Lalaguna makes field-to-table pottery based on the seasons – wild and cultivated ceramics for your kitchen, rituals, and feasts. My home studio, located in the Sacramento Valley, is solar-powered and ecologically minded. Her ceramics are also known under the brand name of Sienna Ceramics.
As the sole owner and maker behind Sienna Ceramics, I take a holistic approach inspired by and integrated with my gardens and surrounding lands. I use the plants around me in both form and function; by painting and carving them on the surfaces of the work, and by creating pieces to help preserve the harvest such as fermentation crocks, juicers, canning funnels, and bakeware.
Working in both functional and sculptural realms, my ceramic creations stem from my background as a cook, plant-lover, and mystic. My work is an ongoing study of curvaceous form, color relationships, environmental beauty, and cosmic abstractions that often have a feminine, or science fiction feel. I am inherently inspired by the gardens I tend, and the land surrounding my home and studio, as well as food plants, foraging, and the local farm-to-table movement which connects us to the natural cycles of the year, and ancestral methods of food preservation.
In an age of bland, mass-produced vessels, the small-batch, handmade pot blurs the lines between functional object and art or spiritual object. The inherent variations and imperfections give the object individuality, and these handmade and handpicked objects are often revered within their homes as something special. With a small number of pieces produced, direct distribution allows for a personal connection conducted by the vessel. This direct connection between the maker and the keeper conveys a special energetic quality that transcends the substratal material.
Sienna Orlando-Lalaguna will be one of the artist exhibiting at the Chico ART Festival, May 10 & 11, 2024. The festival is held outdoors on the beautiful grounds of St John’s Episcopal Church on Floral Avenue, in Chico. Hours are Friday from 4pm to 8 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. You can also check Sienna Ceramics website HERE or Facebook page HERE.