Hello,hello,hello !
Today I'd like to talk about my friends from Kaola Studio. Like I wrote in my last blog I met them in the summer of 2018 at the Ceramic Festival in Boleslawiec, Poland. I met the entire family and was invited to a cook out they were having that very same day! Well, I'm not going to lie, my first impression was ...."You people are weird!" I just met you and you're inviting me to your home ?! Lol-very Polish but I was living for 18 years in USA. Ceramic Festival days are busy and I had a meeting scheduled that evening but promised to let them know when it was over. So I did. Andrzej Pachom, the owner and founder of Kaola Studio, was very happy to hear back from me, but the party moved to the Rynek (old square) where they could celebrate with all their customers! It was a fantastic evening full of laughter and good food! I met Andrzej's mom, Zdzislawa Pachom, who is fun-loving,energetic and an artist herself. She is a lady with the biggest heart ever! Kasia , Andrzej's younger sister, has become my dear friend for life. She is one of the most open minded , loving, and affectionate people I know. Andrzej's wife, Grazyna is very welcoming, balanced, and fun. Their oldest son, Pawel Pachom, is a talented young artist, following in his father's footsteps with a bright future of his own in the world of ceramics. He is very ambitious, humble and detail oriented. I met so many wonderful people that night, friends, family members and customers. We talked, danced, and laughed that August night in the center of the Old Square in Boleslawiec. I met other producers of ceramics and suddenly my journey to Boleslawiec had purpose, shape and meaning . It was that night that I sat on the edge of the Old Square Fountain with Andrzej and talked about Polish history, traditions, life as an immigrant in the United States, separation from my country, and the deep attachment I feel to my Polish roots even from so far away here in USA. It was also that night when Andrzej promised to create a special pattern for me, now known as Take Me Home. When he asked me what shape I would like him to make, my instant reply was "A Skull!" To this day whenever we talk about it, we have a good laugh!
I hope that each of you can one day experience that fabulous cerebration of Ceramic Festival . I feel like that moment is captured in every piece of pottery Kaola Studio is producing for us and we are bringing from Poland to USA .
Let me tell you something about Andrzej Pachom - owner and founder of Ceramika Artystyczna Kaola Studio .Andrzej worked for the oldest producer of ceramics in Boleslawiec, Zaklady Ceramiczne, from 1989 till 2016 and over years became a Master Designer. The majority of decorations (patterns) you love from Zaklady are his design, including what we call Sabala, and the well known and loved, 149ART.
Andrzej also was commissioned by City of Boleslawiec to make beautiful street signs on Prusa St. You can see them when strolling on Old City Square. He also made huge mural for International Centrum of Ceramic and AquaPark
Andrzej work is always functional ,quirky and incredibly beautiful .He is able to capture three dimensions and the reality of every day objects and surroundings.This makes his Art so appealing and real that we can't get enough of it!
As I started working very closely with Kaola Studio I was introduced and amused with the process of making ceramics from A-Z. I started to understand the complexity and hard work put into every single piece, and can see why it takes 10 -12 weeks from beginning to end to make each piece of pottery. Working very closely with Kaola Studio allowed me to see the entire process of production from start to finish. After launching his product in USA, Andrzej decided to create special mug he had been thinking of for some time. It is a large mug we named "Anka, " as I am always causing some aggravation wanting more, bigger and better . The "Anka" Mug is fantastic and the shape itself is owned by Surroundings Polish Pottery. With the unique handle design coming from the upper ridge instead of being glued to the elegant body, it makes for a really spectacular 17 oz. mug on a round base.
Today we are proudly offering new generation of ceramic dishes -designed and produced only by Kaola Studio - the thermal dishes! They are double walled dishes that allow the contents to stay at the proper temperature longer, without radiating to the outside. Innovative, beautiful, absolutely brilliant, AND functional too! The "Bolek" mug is first in that generation.
This fantastic journey with Kaola Studio has been full of inspiration, passion for the art of ceramics, creativity, and fun. It is an honor to watch them grow as a business and as artists. The team at Kaola Studio finds their greatest inspiration from you, the customer. It is our pleasure and honor to represent them in the United States and bring their beautiful work to you all. 
I hope that you enjoy this blog and you will see every piece of Polish Pottery as a individual story of Polish culture and tradition.
Peace, Love, Polish Pottery.