Seat weaving since 1980. As a young UCSB student in 1980, I was always interested in history and design. I had known of the old caning shop in the Flying A Movie Studios and wanted to meet the man who had been caning since the 1930s. I walked in and was fascinated by the chairs everywhere, and I never wanted to leave. Arleigh trained me to take over for him and his mother, as they were both becoming quite elderly. Chairs were stacked everywhere, and now chairs are stacked everywhere in my studio as well. I took in so much history of his caning business and Santa Barbara, and I was blessed to be able to take it into my studio. The stories that come in daily attached to so many different chairs are endless. I am a small shop, and I can only push out so much work; patience is always appreciated! Thirty-seven years and continuing on in this old tradition. Please contact me at [email protected] for any questions (pictures of chairs are always welcomed). Please read Raising Cane article in photos.
Seaside Makers Artisan Collective | Local Gifts + Goods curated by The Grapeseed Company. Visit our Scent Bar to create your own custom scent blend. 727 State Street Santa Barbara, California.
Marcel Hemp
Closed now
Today, the Spalluto's company, now including their two daughters and son, constantly scour the Italian countryside in order to offer the finest in traditional majolica from Umbria and Tuscany, as well as new and exciting patterns from other regions of Italy to retailers in the U.S. They take pride in featuring ceramics are made in small workshops where artisans and their families produce individual works of art using techniques handed down from generation to generation. In doing so, they have become a key distributor of Italian ceramics and feature the largest collection of handcrafted majolica in the West. After over 26 years in business, the Spalluto family invites you to share in their love of Italian ceramics, hoping that you too may find a true appreciation of art of Italian Pottery What is Majolica? The ceramics we import are defined as Majolica. To be considered as such, an item must be made of European red clay. After the item dries and is fired the first time, it is dipped in a white, chalky coating over which the design is painted entirely freehand with lead-free mineral glazes ; it is then fired again to bring out the colors of the various minerals. The finished product is Majolica. This may sound simple, but painting a design on a chalky surface with glazes of various consistencies is extremely difficult, and there is no room for mistake, or the piece is ruined. With repeated use, Majolica has a tendency to craze, or form miniscule lines within the glazing. This has no effect on the durability of the item. Because all of our pottery is handmade, color and patterns can vary from piece to piece. We feel this reveals the essence of the handmade process and illustrates the unique character of the piece. Many of the designs we feature date back countless generations or are derived from Renaissance artwork. Because most factories use a similar color palette, the majority of our pieces complement each other beautifully to create a perfectly set table, a tastefully decorated wall or whatever your imagination envisions.
