The town where I grew up in France is about 10 miles from a little village called Malicorne, which is nationally renowned for its centuries-old faiencerie d’art. Their workshops, called ateliers in French, make gorgeous fine art pieces from glazed earthenware.

Every time I visit their ateliers, I am in awe of their skills and I always think that I would have loved to work in such a place. I also think it’s impressive that since their creation in 1747, a few ateliers have survived and kept the traditions of fine arts craftsmanship. So to show them my admiration, I decided to paint one of their beautiful chiseled bowls with fresh hydrangeas. The way the earthenware reflects the colors of the hydrangea petals is absolutely exquisite.