5 Reasons to Buy Armando de la Rocha’s Ceramic Art

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Armando de la Rocha began working with clay in 1994 and was selling his art full-time by 1998. This Saturday, May 31, he is opening up his home gallery at 824 Santa Barbara Street to downtown weekenders from 8 a.m.-2 p.m., and here are just a couple reasons why you should swing by. For more info, call 965-9927.

1) Your piece will be one-of-a-kind: All of Armando’s narrative-driven cups, pots, and vases are hand-thrown and hand-painted. “Every piece tells you a little story,” he said. “And everything takes a long time.”

2) You’ll be nearby: The cactus-lined, turn-of-the-century home is two blocks from the Farmers Market, across the street from C’Est Cheese, Thrasher Books, and Our Daily Bread, and around the corner from the Sojourner Cafe-so, odds are, you’ll be in the neighborhood on Saturday anyway.

3) You can afford it: Unlike much of Santa Barbara’s bank-breaking art sales, Armando sells shot glasses and other small pieces for $8 and up, with his top pieces coming in at only $200. Plus, since it’s an easy day of selling from his living room, he’s slashing prices by 40 percent. “The earlier they come,” the artist promised, “the better a deal they’re gonna get.”

4) Your kids may learn something: Armando begins teaching Introduction to Ceramics classes for kids aged 5-12 starting in late June as part of Camp Lorr at Arts Alive!, so Saturday’s sale is the perfect opportunity to take the kids, meet the teacher, and sign up early.

5) You’ll witness a beautiful rising moon: Armando and his wife Blanca are proud parents of Luna, a cute baby girl of about 16 months, and it’s guaranteed that her smile will brighten your day.