Most people know where they come from, the origins of their heritage and the story of their family. For Christina Armstrong, this story reads differently.
Christina was born in Barão Geraldo of São Paulo and adopted when she was just two days old by her Australian parents Jack & Daisy, her only parents, her familia. The stories in the first chapters of Christina's life were never kept from her. It was always spoken that she had been deserving, wanted and chosen. She enjoyed a childhood that was a tapestry woven of opportunity, safety and love which allowed her to feel held and nurtured enough to explore her Brazilian heritage. And she does so without a second thought - in fact, it pulses through her veins every day.
Then, it led her here.
It led her to the studio where she could use her hands, where she kneaded, fired, painted and discovered how to express her roots and her heritage. This is Christina’s story of “minhas raizes, por meio de favela” (“my roots, by way of the favela”).
It’s the story of her journey home.
Christina has always been a creator. Often with a paintbrush in hand, she would harness her intense creativity to express her unique perspective of her home now, as well as the home she came from. And, while she was raised on Australian shores, she has always been instinctively drawn to the colours, traditions, music, architecture and fiery passion of her motherland.
From a place of love, yearning and curiosity, Christina began hand making her own collection of ceramics. By creating, she was able to explore her heritage, and to connect to her birthplace, her bloodline and her home that could have been. Each and every piece in the collection has been handcrafted and hand-painted by Christina alone. And while each piece is one of a kind, they all tell the same story.
The collection is made up of Tumblers, bowls, vases and vessels, their forms organic, curvilinear and sculptural. Each has been painted by hand in a rich colour palette of cream which is the base colour tone of the clay, The glazes that have been selected are deep Sapphire Blue, Sienna brown & Pink. These colours are based on the diverse rich colours of what you would see looking at the Favelas. And, perhaps unbeknownst to Christina when she began, her chosen colour palette echoes the artisanal, wood-fired pottery of Cunha, a remote Brazilian town nestled in the hills of Sao Paul’s Paraiba Valley.
Each beautifully crafted piece in the collection also pays homage to her late mother, Daisy. When Christina tells stories about her mother, she speaks of a remarkable woman who was committed to keeping Christina's Brazilian heritage alive by keeping little pieces and tokens of it in every corner of their home. This fact alone is something that makes Christina feel proud and honoured to her core. Daisy collected beautiful pieces of Brazilian art, from paintings and ceramics to wooden sculptures and furniture, and was passionate about supporting artisans, a habit that Christina has now embraced with gusto.
The pieces in this collection exist like a little family. And it is this beautiful word, familia, that guides Christina toward, and through, everything that she does. Her ceramic pieces will be added to Moss Living’s collection of slow, thoughtful and considered items that are also each infused with Christina’s inimitable sensibility and style. She hopes that you can feel the deep love that went into creating each of the pieces, because the story of herself, her family and her roots are literally kneaded into each one.
