Pottery House of Daniel Leş

Daniel Leş or “the last free dacian” often named by friends is a potter from the heart of Maramures who hosts a beautiful crafts house.

Nearly ten years ago, he and his wife, Daniela, created the Casa Olarului (The Potter's House). It is a location where guests are welcome to simply relax while also discovering the art of modelling clay. Daniel declares he lovingly crafts the pots and fills them with tales. The potter remains true to his roots and the ancestral land even in a technologically advanced society.

The clay comes to life in Daniel Leș's hands and travels everywhere in the form of various objects. It's the potter's method of expressing the message that anything can be created out of nothing, which is what he firmly believes.

Daniel Leș, who was born in 1972 into a Maramures family of painters and potters, was meant to become a potter. Pottery, drawing, painting, and ceramic modelling were all skills he learned from his father, the painter and potter Ioan Leș. Every part of his work has been influenced by living in the village of his grandparents.

He built his own studio more than 20 years ago and employs time-honored methods that have been in use since Dacian times, using only clay, water, and fire. Daniel is a master of the figurative ceramics genre, and many international exhibitions and museums have shown his works.

Daniel Leș invites the worn-out professionals who come to unwind to pause for a moment and consider the purpose of life because he feels that, in contrast to the robotization of life, touching directly with the clay makes people feel more alive. Therefore, using a pottery wheel to create objects turns into a form of treatment that encourages lovely discussion, songs, jokes, a tasty dinner, and an overall feeling of unity.

If you are curious about the origin of the clay, Daniel reveals that it can be discovered at depths of two to three metres.The craftsman master inspects it to ensure it is suitable.Then it is stepped on, run through rollers, and placed in a cool location while being well-wrapped. Water is sprayed on it, and the longer it persists, the easier it will be to use. Daniel may only use the potter's wheel to mould the vessel once the clay is suitable for use. The vessel is then polished and dried before going into the kiln, which has a temperature range of 1000–1200°C. He utilises natural colours, regional plants, different oxides, and beeswax at the end to coat the pots.

The story of Daniel is a fascinating one. His tales are about art from ceramics and earlier times. The visitors interested might stop by the Casa Olarului, an extraordinary location in nature, for an escape from the daily grind. You can see the wonders created by him desired by many lovers of this art.