Estefanía Padilla

From the rhythm of Nature

• Estefanía creates imperfect ceramics with organic geometry
• Her work is inspired by the desert landscape of Almería and the Mediterranean
• Working in her home studio in Cabo de Gata, she experiences a sense of liberation

A few years ago, Estefanía Padilla enrolled in a ceramics course organised by a local council and discovered a craft that allowed her to lose track of time. Upon completing the course, she found it impossible to give up her new craft. Since then, she has dedicated herself to improving her skills through self-education. She believes this profession chose her because she never imagined making ceramics as a means of earning a living. Based in Cabo de Gata, a cape in Almería, southern Spain, where she has established Asterisque, her home workshop, Estefanía continues to create handmade decorative and utilitarian pieces using Spanish materials sourced from the region. Her creations are inspired by the isolated semi-deserts, arid lands, dusty dunes, and volcanic slopes that are constantly battered by the strong winds and waves of the Mediterranean Sea. She describes her work and way of life as deeply influenced by the powerful and unhurried rhythms of nature.

Interview

©Asterisque

©Asterisque

How would you define your craft?

I often say that my pieces have an 'organic geometry', meaning that you can see life in them, and my hand in the irregular shapes and raw textures. I express in my ceramics what I cannot be in my everyday life. For me, my work is synonymous with freedom.

How is your craft linked to the territory where you live?

All the materials I use are produced and/or manufactured in Spain. For the last two years I have been living in Cabo de Gata. This place may seem inhospitable to many because of its isolation and extreme nature, but I find it hypnotic. Here my days are marked by the slow but powerful rhythm of this vastness and the Mediterranean Sea. My work is strongly influenced by this landscape.

What are your sources of inspiration?

I think my sources of inspiration are everything I connect with, be it the Mediterranean Sea, the deserts, Africa or the work of people I admire. An illustration, a canvas, a painting, a sculpture or a dress. The shape of a stone or a word. All these elements are somehow part of my consciousness and are projected in my work.

What do you think are your main skills?

Although it may sound contradictory, I think my primary skill is to let myself be carried away by the moment when I am in front of a chunk of clay. I do not usually make sketches of my pieces. I like to let the raw materials express themselves. That is why, lately, I leave them unglazed. This way of working makes each of my pieces unique.

Estefanía Padilla is a rising star she began her career in 2019

Works

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