Meet Ana Rossi | Ceramics Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ana Rossi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ana, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Ever since I can remember I found myself drawing, painting or working with my hands. I went to a very traditional school that didn’t pay much attention to art so I was always longing for the spaces in my life where I could lose myself into it. As I grew, I studied photography and cinematography but ended up choosing to work with clay. This allowed me to create and build in 3d, feeling the piece with my own hands at every step of the process.
I do porcelain lamps and functional pieces of many kinds, but when I’m making sculptures is when I find myself “in the zone”, I really enjoy this process.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In a way I feel like ceramics found me. Through clay I was able to find an intimacy in the process that I hold very dear.

I had great teachers, but I didn’t have a wide academic formation. I can say that most of the things I learned were through experience, flying solo, breaking pieces or making infinite tests until I reached what I wanted to get.

Once I began working in this medium, I realized I wanted to put most of my energy into it because it takes a lot of time and patience to achieve the results you’re aiming for. Presence and resilience, to pick yourself up after working for days, sometimes weeks on a piece that might break in a split second. Building, drying or firing it. Most probably, every ceramicist will relate to this. So, at the same time, this medium taught me to appreciate even more the magic that occurs during the process of making something and letting it go, if that’s meant to happen.

One of the most important goals for me was to find my style, so I started to draw on my pieces and made more sculptures based on my sketches. The less I put my head into it the more I started to see my style appear. I understood my “handwriting” and let it show.
For an artist once you have a technique it’s just a matter of allowing that style manifest. As when a kid is making art, totally free.
I wasn’t loving my style until I understood it was precisely there where I could see myself. That, makes a piece unique. With time, I learned to love it and realized others loved the pieces where I could see that style blossom the most.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love living in LA, it has a blessed combination of city life and spectacular nature spots. I would do a little tour of art galleries in Los Angeles, maybe take advantage of the night openings since that makes a perfect night out followed by a dinner in Gracias Madre (Weho). The Getty Villa has an amazing collection that is worth the visit and since you are going north, follow the PCH and make a stop at Point Dume in Malibu were you’ll see big groups of dolphins.
I would take my friends to do some hikes with ocean views like Abalone Cove park in Palos Verdes, or Will Rogers in Santa Monica mountains. I would also take them to do a beach day at Bruce’s beach since is once of my favorite spots along the coastline.
I would spend a day on the east side, visiting Silverlake, Los Feliz, Echo park Lake and have lunch at Sage (plant based restaurant). There are so many different faces of this city that’s hard to cover in one week.
Some of my preferred places to eat and drink are:
Millcross in Culver city, has the vibe and excellent food, coffee and wines.
Blueys in Mar vista, good dishes and a lot of space in the back patio to hang out.
Gjusta in Venice, has great salads, sandwiches, pizza and bakery.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My most significant mentor was Franklyn Phillips, I studied with him for 18 months at Santa Monica College. Beyond the technical knowledge, most importantly he shared the enchantment of the creative process itself. I learned that the knowledge is transmitted in the silence of the studio, while we’re working together.

Website: www.nandiceramics.com

Instagram: @nandi.ceramics