London

Michele Fabbricatore

Ceramicist | Pistoia, Italy

Stylised ceramic renditions

Michele is a ceramicist and illustrator
He views ceramics as the synthesis between painting and sculpting
He is inspired by nature, mythology and literature

As a child, Michele Fabbricatore had already discovered his artistic vocation and crafting skills, as he spent hours and hours creating miniature sculptures with play dough and, later on, with clay. Several years have passed since then, involving higher education, professional training both abroad and in his home country, the opening of his own studio, and many international exhibitions. Despite all this, Michele has never lost his attitude of child's play. Both his work and his words reveal the same dreamy and poetic approach that a very passionate child would put into their creations. Over the years, Michele has developed a signature style: his work juxtaposes illustration and ceramics, which he defines as “the synthesis between painting and sculpting”.

Interview

How did you become a professional ceramicist?: I started working very young. After school I won a scholarship and I went to study in the Netherlands where I trained in a ceramic studio. When I came back to Italy, I enrolled at the fine arts academy, but at the same time I opened my studio and I was already working.
You are also an illustrator. How is this manifest in your work?: I am inspired by the works of artists such as Quentin Blake and Emanuele Luzzati. Over the years, I have developed my own style and my own illustrated world with its own characters. However, many people say that my sculptures look like me, so perhaps I am just depicting myself!
Where do you find inspiration for your work?: I am inspired by the things I love: the natural world, mythology, fairy tales, and literature, in particular the works of Italo Calvino. One of my dreams is to one day illustrate a version of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac.
What are your future projects?: Today I have a very nice studio and workshop. I would like to one day turn it into a shared space, an open place where people could come to learn an artistic technique but also to relax and restore themselves, a place that people could leave feeling better than when they entered.

Michele Fabbricatore is a master artisan: he began his career in 1994 and he started teaching in 2003