Beauty from imperfections
- Julieta's jewellery is part art and part sculpture
- Her ceramics have international appeal
- She draws inspiration from fine art, fashion and nature
When she was a child, Julieta Álvarez used to play with clay pellets that her father, a sculptor, brought home. Later, she graduated in fashion design at the IED in Madrid. She studied ceramics with Resu Labrador. She started modelling clay after she had had enough of working long hours in front of a computer. She needed more real and less digital work. Nowadays, Julieta creates jewellery and decorative objects she models by hand, she applies enamel with brushes and finishes with a golden lustre. “My work is in a constant process of evolution and experimentation. I seek to create beauty out of the world’s imperfections.” Her creations have reached shops in the Pompidou Centre, the Reina Sofia and the Contemporary Art Museum of Luxembourg. Currently, Julieta is the designer of the new jewellery collections for the porcelain house, Lladro.
INTERVIEW
The major lesson I learned when I was studying with ceramicist Resu Labrador is that everything has to start with an idea. When this idea motivates and even obsesses you, it becomes the engine you need to find out, learn and explore beyond your technical knowledge.
All my technical work is very traditional: modelling by hand, glazing with brushes or firing in the kiln. I have tried 3D printing. Networking and internet sales have helped me to create an audience and maintain my brand.
Not at all. In fact, I think quite the opposite. Craftsmanship is going through a splendid moment. Handmade things are becoming more and more valued. We no longer want pieces to discard every season. We want them to be special and to last in our wardrobes and homes.
I have always enjoyed researching the work of Georgia O’Keeffe, Yayoi Kusama, Barbara Hepworth, Pina Bausch and Elsa Schiaparelli, among others. At this moment, I am very attracted to the world of minerals, science fiction, solid versus liquid and exploring things that are 'broken'.
