Pithos (plural pithoi) is the ancient Greek word for a large storage jar of a characteristic shape.  Many pithoi were excavated in the Palace of Knossos in Greece. Pithoi were almost universally made of clay, an ideal material that kept out water, dirt, insects and rodents.  Most were as tall or taller than a human being (excerpted from Wikipedia).

…but to us the word “PITHOS”  evokes “Raki”, “Tsipouro”, “Tzatziki” and the time we have spent in Greece with some amazing traditional potters.

Again, the Eye of the Day difference shows.  Not at all satisfied with ordering Greek pottery from a representative or sales person in the U.S., on the Internet Brent located a gentleman willing to meet and show us a traditional factory and the pottery produced there using ancient methods and designs.  Another traveling, finding, seeing, soak-up-the-food/drink/culture adventure! No problem.

Something we love about Greek pottery is its unique buff color.  And… the potters are true artisans.  Each potter has one or two styles they make, everyone specializes, and in the older factories the potters wheel may even be powered by foot, sometimes a pair of someone else’s hands as well.  No two vessels will ever be identical.  After the work is done, these clay-encrusted, hard-working people clean up (amazingly well!) and spend the rest of their hours, well into the night entertaining us with food, homemade wine, raki and tsipouro and traditional music in their local taverna and their homes.  Aahh… Another home, sweet home for us.

Now when you see our Greek pottery, you’ll admire everything about it even more.  Oh, and the Pithos is not the only shape, by the way.  Multitudes of sizes, styles and unpronounceable names are available at Eye of the Day, and at .  We only hope you aren’t needing any Pithoi to keep out insects and rodents.

One day, many years ago, we were driving through the excellent Tuscan countryside looking for a few good terracotta factories for Eye of the Day.  As random chance would intervene, as it often does, behind a chain link fence we found Terrecotte San Rocco.  We had met Marcello at the Paris gift show and had never seen terracotta pottery quite like what he had to offer, so we made the trip to Tuscany to find his factory.  The pottery was even better in situ and so began a beautiful friendship.

Since that fate-filled trip, Eye of the Day has grown to include many different products from all over the world, but the terracotta containers, planters and pottery of Terrecotte San Rocco are the heart of our collection.  Marcello’s terracotta is not only beautiful, encompassing many styles and shapes, but somewhat recently he began using the highest quality clay available – Galestro clay, which is the same material that is used to manufacture pottery in the famed area of Impruneta.  The clay is found in a small region of Tuscany and has been used to produce terracotta pottery for centuries. These clay pots are fired at a very high temperature causing the elevated levels of pyrites and silica to change structure, resulting in an extremely hard material unique in its color and texture and setting them apart from other terracotta clays.

Here’s another thing about San Rocco: Marcello is not the kind of guy to rest on his accomplishments and find satisfaction in a production that is “just fine”.  Since we first met, there is a newer, larger factory, contemporary and more edgy designs and new dynamic clay colors.  He is also working with glazes to produce a different look entirely.  And, in case you don’t know this about him, Brent feels the same drive Marcello does, always looking for a way to make Eye of the Day better, more interesting, never satisfied that it is “just fine”– they make great partners.

And, ok… Marcello and his family live in TUSCANY, remember.  Food, wine, vistas.  All of them rich and full of life.  We are, in every capacity, extremely glad that we made that first trip to Tuscany.  It changed our lives and the constantly changing life of Eye of the Day as well.

Even though we look at our merchandise every day, we are captivated by what we see.  Each of us has our favorite thing and here we are sharing them with you.

You know Brent.  He loves Gladding McBean.  He loved Gladding McBean at first sight.  As he has grown to become even better acquainted with this product, he finds it is not just that he loves the beauty of the glazes and shapes created by this company.  There’s much more.  The quality of this product is unsurpassed, which is something that is disappearing from our culture; the styles are classic; the small production of this company makes it unique; it is American made and the company has been in business since 1885; its value means it is already an heirloom for our children’s children. The rest of us agree.

Julia loves and admires the old Greek jars.  “They resonate history, culture, tradition and lost in our “throw-away” society.  The jars stand tall and quietly proud in our greenhouse, unassuming and yet ever-inspiring.  These Greek jars, also known as pithari, have acted as my creative muse for our advertisements and web design.”

The little cast iron urns are Lisa’s favorite.  We have three sizes ranging in price from $15 to $25.  Planted with one of our little succulents, they become a great gift or centerpiece for your table at an affordable price.  Lisa also loves to plant the urns and display them in our front entry and gift shop.  Seeing our customers choose the “perfect plant” from our nursery to go with their urn selection makes her love them even more.

One of our newest items, the French Drop Jar, caught Audrey’s eye immediately.  Was it the look of the lichen/mossy finish that reminded her of beautiful old-growth Manzanita trees? The yellow lip of the jar offering a neat modern contrast to the rest of the pot? The ancient technique of molding clay around coiled rope to achieve the classic shape of the pot?  Yes. To all.

Suzi’s love affair with the Chelsea Garden Fountain is a long one. At the original Eye of the Day in Solvang, it was the fountain set up in front of the shop’s window and we still will always have one set up at Eye of the Day.  It is graceful, perfectly proportioned, timeless and a wonderful value.  This one has acquired a unique patina and fits beautifully in its current setting of pale blue Anduze pots.

When you are visiting Eye of the Day let us know what your favorite thing might take your picture and share it with the world!

Our methods MAY be slightly unusual (you’ll just have to visit and observe) but they work for us. It begins with Brent. We’ll call him “The Visionary”. He is the person from whom all ideas flow. Fearless, bold, going where most men have never even considered going. But go he does. Tuscany for a collection of old terracotta oil jars? Done. Signed, sealed, delivered. Greece to demonstrate how to load a container of traditional style pottery? Are they ready for him tomorrow?  He’s booked.  Next, he’s off to France for a visit to the antique fairs. Without his lead, Eye of the Day could NOT lead. And, Eye of the Day IS a trailblazing design center, after all, constantly growing and changing with The Vision.

Brent inspecting pottery in Greece.

Recently The Visionary and his sidekick, Julia trekked to Washington D.C. to the ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects) Annual Meeting & Expo 2010 themed “Earth, Air, Water Fire” just for the experience of the show; should we display at the next one? (It’ll be on our home turf – San Diego, CA.) They shared ideas with others, toured beautiful garden gems in Georgetown, found some exciting new products and, by the by, took on the larger challenge of touring the city (with local wisdom offered by Julia’s pal Cathryn Kingsbury) and sampling D.C.’s fine cuisine (Try everything at Zaytinya). The conclusion as to exhibiting in San Diego? We want as many people as possible to see our treasures, especially the variety of terracotta, so YES! Off we’ll go…

Cool Find at the Expo: The Porter Garden Telescope

This marvelous telescope, first designed in the 1920s, is newly improved with suburb optics. You’ll easily gaze upon the remarkable detail of Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s moons. AND, you can remove the optics creating an elegant bronze garden sculpture. Each limited heirloom is handmade in Vermont and given a serial number. The company that makes them, Telescopes of Vermont, was a very cool find at the ASLA 2010 EXPO.

Here we are. Eye of the Day. A “garden design center” in the peaceful California coastal town of Carpinteria. At our store we have a VERY BIG selection of things that we want to talk to you about AND that are waiting to be placed in a garden.

We are going to show you our discoveries as we, yes, discover them and invite you into Eye of the Day through photographs. That is, until you visit in person.

There is always A LOT of activity at Eye of the Day. The container from Italy, loaded with terracotta pots of all sizes and shapes arrives at the Port of Los Angeles and high-tails it up to Carpinteria for us to unload, inspect and artistically place for our customers to see. A group from a Northern California Garden Club visits for a tour conducted by our leader Brent, and learns what container is best for which plant. One of our California manufactures of concrete fountains, birdbaths, statuary and benches arrives for an observational visit to see how we have displayed their merchandise. Lisa, our merchandising whiz, is deciding how best to show off the recently received old Greek jars in our well-endowed Greenhouse. And all in one day, too!

Through it all, we welcome our familiar customers and the new ones, wide-eyed with wonder at the beauty and abundance of our store. If you have yet to visit us, here is a taste. Check back with us often to find out what’s new or not new but still exciting at Eye of the Day.