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Grandson and son of potters, Raimundo Nonato da Silva knew he would end up modelling clay for a living. “I was born near Fortaleza (CE), in 1962. I spent a long time on farms, and things were very tough so my family decided to move to a smallholding in the neighbourhood of Moita Redonda. The land belonged to my mother, and all the family lives here.” There were 11 children in all, raised thanks to pots made of clay. Raimundo is very proud of his mother’s work, and remembers how he helped her build a kiln when they first arrived. “I’ve been working with clay for 20 years. At first I used to make little horses, a bit rough, and take them to the market in Beberibe (CE). One day I decided to make a couple. People liked them and asked me to make them bigger and bigger. I did, and my work started to get well known. But I also make chameleons, chickens and frogs. My mother makes pots to this day. The younger members of the family don’t want to get involved but they’ve all been raised with the money we get from clay, and believe me, it’s hard work.” |
