ABOUT

Hi, I'm Sandra, a Peruvian-Dutch ceramist based in Ecuador.

I’ve been building with ceramics for about five years. My work has been exhibited in a few galleries and I’ve led clay instrument workshops, but I hesitate to call myself an artist. I much prefer the term maker and my approach to ceramics is closer to experimentation than artistry.

My passion in clay is experimenting with inca whistling vessels, also called inca whistle jar, originally made by my ancestors in Peru, and their then neighbors in my now home, Ecuador.

Follow me on instagram.

tenzijth

Tour of our dear friend’s amazing #kombuchafacto

Acoma Haa’ku, which translates to “a city well

Instagram post 18061181002814487

@sagsuma Gracias. Qué lindo caminar juntitas. ❤

English below. El **Proyecto Hidroeléctrico San

Gente de Mindo, únanse a nosotros el jueves 27 de

Spontaneous trip to Cayambe Volcano to show Samay

Happy birthday to my love @sagsuma I am so blessed

Load More Follow on Instagram

Method & STORY

Method

I generally handbuild, though have sometimes used the wheel to throw shapes that I then construct as whistling vessels.

Initially, I was focused on function and the air compression systems that make whistling vessels work best, and over time, my work has taken on increased sculptural aspects, as well as new textures and concepts, which I continue to develop. Maybe I’m becoming a real artist? What is a real artis? Nevermind.

Personal background

Born in Rome, Italy, I am neither very Italian, nor very Dutch. I first began building guitars with a master luthier here in Ecuador, Norberto Novik, but then took a ceramics class after a messy breakup and fell in love with clay. I was no longer getting laid, I was getting clayed.

I studied Anthropology at the University of Colorado at Boulder and then International Development Studies at the University of Amsterdam. I’ve also been a musician for most of my life, playing guitar and singing.

I moved to Ecuador in 2012 (10 years ago) to salvage a relationship. This was another instance where I fell in love with an activity/object versus a person; I fell in love with Ecuador and have been living here since.

When I’m not building inca whistling vessels or teaching people how to make an ocarina, I’m organizing and assisting at ayahuasca retreats in Ecuador through my website, almahealingcenter.com