ANCA

I am an informative craftswoman potter from Pottery's family, issued by the Generalitat of Catalonia and I am also degree in Contemporary Applied Arts, Fire Arts (Ceramics and Glass), Escola Massana and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.I am working with clay and I am looking for new textures and shapes. I am using the material as a form of expression.

Q&A

Artist Statement

I am an informative craftswoman potter from Pottery’s family, issued by the Generalitat of Catalonia and I am also degree in Contemporary Applied Arts, Fire Arts (Ceramics and Glass), Escola Massana and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.Regarding my work in ceramic art, my
goal is to express as much as I can my imagination about nature. I have always been inspired by nature, in its transformation, its
plants, vegetation and insects. My sculptures are like something out of a fantasy! Roots growing into a cylinder produced on the pottery wheel or shapes exploding into different forms of the nature like sponges, smalls living beings, branch and trees transformed in little monsters. My historical references are Greek mythology, the archaeology, the observation of the nature of Charles Darwin and the shapes from the nature. I am particularly fascinated by the organic shapes, but I also like the geometric ones because they talk about the relation between the nature and mathematic. Clay is used to recreate this shapes and texture, inspired by nature that suggest motion and love.

As an artist who enjoy the time in the nature, I often go trekking in the mountains or fields. I take some samples or I take pictures and I
check the type of moss, tree, plant, butterfly or the “invisible” foam of the forest, I find along the way.

In my work, I am looking for originality, fragility and textures that you can see in nature. I use materials at high temperatures, porcelain, clays that reach a temperature of between 1200º-1280º, pigments and oxides. Sometimes I use transparent and white glazes, almost all time with a matte quality.

What craft do you work with?

In 2007 I started my first courses in paiting, years later I wanted to reproduce it with other material , so I am working with clay since 2014. I like to work by hand build technique, but I also like to use the wheel throwing, it depends of the form I want to give to my sculpture.

What inspires you to work with this craft?

I am passionate of new shapes, new discoverings in textures and new techniques, that myself I discover and develop in my little studio. Normally, I use stoneware and porcelain.

How do you start your creative process?

As I said before, I often go trekking in the mountains. I take some samples or I take pictures and I check the type of moss, tree, plant, butterfly or the “invisible” foam of the forest, I find along the way. The easy part is to create, to have clear the idea about want I want to create, and the difficult part is before the first firing, this is the fisrt step, then the second step is the second firing, that always could be a surprise. The kiln always surprise ourself!

How would you best describe your workspace and what tools could you not do without?

I am feeling free, creative and comfortable in my little studio. Normally I use a ” half moon” to cut , a wood tool and my hands.

Are there new techniques you would like to try?

Oh, yes. Working with clay always there are new techniques to try. Several times I tried Raku technique, maybe in the future, I would like to work more with this technique.

What have you learnt or the best advice you have received that you would like to share with fellow crafters?

Working with clay I learnt to be patience, to have trust, to be confidence. The best advice I have received recently was: “try to do something that you never made before”, so I tried it and I made it. It was a very good advice from my ceramic teacher from Escola Massana.I like to paint, to make book-binding, to work with differents types of papers.I would like to share my experience and I also would like to learn from other professionals.