David Abraham Sánchez León

Luthier

©Lucía Bellini

©Estefania Acosta Galván

Art-inspired guitars

David has been crafting instruments since the mid 2000s
His work is connected to the Canary Islands, as he makes the traditional local timple instrument
Disciplines such as sculpture and painting influence his work

David Abraham Sánchez León's vocation for lutherie was born during a folk music concert where he saw many different instruments, sparking his desire to one day craft his own. “I also saw an exhibition of timples in which I could see many generations of craftsmen reflected in the different works,” he recounts. Since then, David knew he had to train to fulfill his aspirations. “In addition to training abroad with other luthiers, I visited numerous craftsmen and began delving into specialised literature. I became curious about other disciplines such as sculpture or architecture, in search of my own language within the world of professional luthery," says David. His pieces are a twist on traditional guitars and timples, as he builds instruments with a very expressive aesthetic.

Interview

©Estefania Acosta Galván

©Lucía Bellini

Did your childhood connect you to manual work?: I have always been attracted to manual tasks. I watched my mother work with cold porcelain to make flowers, and her painting skills caught my attention. From a very young age, I was already working on models or inventing things. I believe this profession allows me to express my artistic concerns using luthery as the guiding thread.
What is your relationship with the Canary Islands?: It is a close relationship, as I make the endemic instrument of the Canary Islands, the timple. Although there is no formal training, as luthiers or timple makers, as we are known in the Canary Islands, we enjoy institutional and social recognition, certified by the artisan and master artisan card.
Technically, what resources do you use the most?: Wood bending and the application of composite materials. These are two resources that have allowed me to carry out the various designs I imagined. In fact, these techniques allow the craft to run wild. Without them, the instruments I make would not exist.
How do you define what you do?: It is a multidisciplinary process of investigation between function and form, applied to the making of musical instruments, in order to explore the formal limits of the craft. It is about respecting tradition while providing new techniques and possibilities to the instruments.

David Abraham Sánchez León is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2007 and he started teaching in 2020