When I initially conceptualized LAMA, my dream was to expose Latino artists and designers to an American audience that may not have otherwise been able to see or purchase their work. It’s always exciting for me when I find a person or company abroad that has yet to find US representation despite having enormous talent. I think that’s what makes LAMA so unique. 

Lola Goldstein was one of these artists for me. I had seen her work floating around the blog circuit and was thrilled that we were able to work together to bring her work into LAMA. I was overjoyed a few months back when Imbibe Magazine contacted me about featuring Lola’s Teapot with a Cold. Not only did they want to place a photo in their magazine, they also wanted to do an interview with Lola! I was so delighted to be able to facilitate the story they did about her work. I mean, that’s what LAMA is all about! In case you can’t read the teeny text on the image below, I’ve typed out the article directly below. It’s definitely worth reading. Congratulations Lola! We can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

Sweet Tea

Sure, tea keeps you warm-but what’s going to keep your teapot from shivering? Argentine artist Lola Goldstein answers that by wrapping her adorable, hand-painted teapots with tiny scarves and hats. Goldstein started her artistic career in drawing and then sculpture. She only began seriously working in ceramics about two years ago-though, considering the anthropomorphic and almost cartoon-like nature of much of her work, perhaps we should say “working whimsically.” The inspiration for this charming “Teapot with a Cold” came to her from the idea of useful objects (like teapots) requiring useful objects of their own. “It amused me to think of these details as if they really were indispensable,” she says. “I didn’t want, for example, a fabric scarf that didn’t actually open up and untie; it had to be made to fulfill it’s function perfectly.”

Goldstein doesn’t knit the teapots’ accessories herself: For that, she brings in a pro. “The scarves and hats are all knitted by my mother, with the dedication and love due a grandchild,” she says. “She calls me to tell me about some color she’s found in a tiny store after walking all day looking for yarn. Working with her gives these teapots their sense of meaning.” -Hanna C. Feldman