Art and Artisan Traditions
Ana Hernández and Christophe Penasse, co-founders of Valencia-based studio Masquespacio, have launched several new pieces to add to the collections of their new brand Mas Creations. Block Chairs is a family of dining chairs that is notable for its particular form, contrast of materials, and color. Composed of marble, stainless steel, wood, velvet fabrics, it…
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With over 50 years in the industry, Oviedo-born José Santamarina Laviada, the co-founder of Santamarina Diseñadores, is a reference in the field of graphic art in Spain. Throughout his career, he has designed graphic and logo design, brand identity, signage, brochures, books, packaging, and illustration. From 1961 to 1963, he worked as a teacher at…
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Sculptor Tadanori Yamaguchi completed studies in painting in his native Japan. During the year before graduation, he accepted an offer of an internship with a sculptor and thus began his dedication to this art form. He has lived and worked in Asturias since 1998, after receiving a grant to study in Spain from the Spanish Ministry of…
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Woodic -a contraction of wood + ceramic- is the ceramic art studio that Natalia Suarez opened in 2018. A graduate of the University of Barcelona in Fine Arts with a specialty in design, she pursued further education in Artistic Ceramics at the Barcelona Arts and Crafts School in Llotja, San Andreu. Natalia’s work reflects her…
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“Where do ideas come from, ways of making…? Well, from the world, from all those who made in the past and those who make in the present. What do I know?” Narciso Galan Narciso Galan (Somines, Grado, Asturias) The story of Narciso Galan’s studio Un Nido de Culebras began in 1987. “I have never worked…
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Originally from Madrid, María Tejada (“Marietta”) creates ceramics from her studio, Cerámica Soluna, in Cudillero, Asturias. She came to the craft by chance, through a friend who was studying it in Madrid. She took courses to learn more about it and moved to Asturias in 2006, where she continued to perfect her technique. Her pieces-…
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Cristina Mato is a ceramic artist, based in Oviedo. “I started ceramics as a hobby 15 years ago. I immediately knew that it was my calling. I kept at it, taking lessons at the Escuela Municipal de Artes Plásticas de Oviedo, and participating in workshops with ceramic masters. The beginning of my artistic career took…
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Asturias has a wealth of artisan traditions, notably in wood, metal crafts, bladesmith (knives from Taramundi), and pieces made with azabachea (jet stone). Artisans in Asturias continue to work in traditional crafts, but many are making them contemporary by, for example, using technology in their processes. Others are dispensing with traditional ways of making and finding their…
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Devotees of local crafts fairs seek them out not only for pleasure but as a respite from shops selling massed-produced items made elsewhere. They provide an opportunity to purchase one of a kind pieces, support local businesses, which in turn may contribute to retaining or reviving age-old traditions that may otherwise disappear. Crafts are often…
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“All those who build a house around a tree or a rock and who make this tree or rock a beautiful and useful addition”. Tado owner Sylvie Fiachetti about her inspiration. Tado is Sylvie Fiachetti’s shop in the Las Letras neighbourhood of Madrid. She has been attracted to well-made objects since childhood. With no formal…
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My Pieces from Spain have moved with me to my various homes over the years. Some are online purchases, others in-store. There are pieces that I bought for my pleasure, and gifts from my Spanish in-laws with one from my father-in-law who once owned two gift shops in Madrid. Porcelain. Metal. Leather. Textiles. Ceramics. Some…
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“We want to create small pieces of art that are simple, but full of soul. Our motivation is to be able to give our customers pieces for their daily lives that make them happy.” María José Díez, an art and design enthusiast, and Natalia López, a dancer and model, founded Vajillas de Ultramar in 2014.…
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