Designs guided by the flow of material
- Pilarica opened her workshop in 2012
- In 2015 she won a national prize in her country for her textiles
- She claims to be always looking for beauty
For Pilarica de León, who was raised in her aunts' haute couture workshop, textiles, fashion, cutting, colours and textures have always been part of her life. She took up this interest on her own later in life. She discovered the techniques of handmade felt and textile making and found great joy to experiment with these. After spending some time in Buenos Aires, Pilarica returned to Uruguay, where there is a long tradition of wool and textile production. This is how she found her expressive medium. "Over the years the materials and I have made a good team. I rarely design the piece beforehand. The contact with the materials, the table, the water, the soap and the fire dialogue with me and I with them," says Pilarica. "Wool is Uruguay's international insignia for its fineness and quality. It is also present in garments that are very representative of our culture, the poncho, the ruana, the shawl," she says.
Interview
- Do you remember your first piece?
- The first piece was a scarf that I called The Lettuce. It was a piece crafted with the spider technique in which the spun wool is layered and when it is felted it joins together making a spider web effect. It was in a green merino fleece and had ruffles of the felt itself, and when rolled up it looked like lettuce.
- What technique do you feel most comfortable with?
- Out of everything I do, I think my strongest point is in the creation of felt pieces. There I feel that I am freer to experiment, to test how far the fibre goes and how far my creativity and ability can go, too.
- Does Uruguay influence your work?
- Uruguay is my working material. When you walk through its natural grasslands you see it. To the south and east, hundreds of kilometres of white sandy beaches bathed by the Rio de La Plata and the Atlantic Ocean. My colour palette reflects my territory. My textures do, too.
- What qualities must an artisan have to succeed, in your view?
- Patience, dedication and an ongoing search for excellence. Secondly, humility, which is what allows us to learn from our teachers, receive timely advice and improve, to create and experiment regardless of results and recognition.
Pilarica de León is a master artisan: she began her career in 2010 and she started teaching in 2014
Works
Where
Pilarica de León
