A living material
- Ivana's creations are functional and artistic
- She loves to follow natural textures
- She creates tactile ceramic pieces
Ivana Petan became interested in ceramics more than 20 years ago. She learned from a master of ceramics for two years, and despite her formal education in social pedagogy, she decided to dedicate herself to clay. Once she had mastered certain techniques, she bought a pottery wheel and a kiln. But technique isn’t everything; she feels it’s important to work with your imagination. According to Ivana, only when you get to know the qualities of the material and respect it, can you create something. For her, clay is a living medium through which she gets to know herself; when she teaches her students, she gets to know them, too. Her master’s degree in philosophy of visual culture and her interest in nature inspired her career path.
Interview
- How did you begin your ceramics career?
- At the beginning I thought I would only work on the pottery wheel. Eventually, however, I began to work more and more with my hands only. I realised this is a completely different approach to clay because there is no mediator. Now I choose techniques based on what I want to create.
- How much time do you spend in the workshop?
- I spend most of my days in the workshop. Clay is a living material that requires discipline and dedication. When you start making something, it starts to dry and you have to catch the right moment. That’s why I always speak about the relationship between clay and me.
- What are your specialisations?
- I like to focus on texture; I like rough surfaces, which I then process with different tools, using different types of firing. When, for example, I see the surface of bread or a rock, I try to recreate it in clay. I want to create a texture that is interesting to touch. Nature is my greatest inspiration.
- What do you love most about your profession?
- I love it when I work and my head gets quiet. I don’t even know I exist: I’m completely immersed in work. And I like what clay can do. When I take the piece out of the kiln, I think "how did this come about?".
Ivana Petan is a master artisan: she began her career in 1997 and she started teaching in 2005
Where
Ivana Petan
