Blanca Madruga

For patience and pleasure

• Blanca defines ceramics as the result of trial and error
• She produces earthy tableware in her house-workshop in Mahón
• Continuous learning is part of what she enjoys about ceramics

Blanca Madruga has a degree in law and humanities, but working with clay was what captured her heart and soul. A self-taught artisan, she stumbled upon ceramics by chance and continued for the pleasures of it. Catalan master artisan Carme Balada taught her to have an honest relationship with clay. A potter from a street stall in Ibiza explained in a simple way to her how to persevere with the craft. "When I told him I could not get the spouts and handles of jugs right, he replied: 'Don't worry, the first thousand never come out right.'" In Menorca, the Balearic island of small pleasures, Blanca discovered that ceramics are therapeutic. She maintains they teach her to observe, to be more patient, and to persevere when things go wrong. In 2015, she opened her workshop where she creates decorative and utilitarian ceramics, frequently inspired by the clay leftover on her table at the end of a day's work.

Interview

©Cecilia Renard

©Cecilia Renard

When and how did you start?

I started in ceramics by chance and continued for the childish pleasure of getting myself covered in mud. I have continued because I consider ceramics to be very therapeutic. It teaches you to observe, to be patient and to carry on when things go wrong.

What do you consider to be your main skills?

I have learned to work with relatively large slabs without deforming them. I also like to make mixed lathe and plate pieces. I try not to stagnate in my craft and just do what I like the most and what I consider will sell.

How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?

I know the theory, the tradition and the different techniques and ways of making ceramics thanks to books. Innovation comes from trying to see what happens when I do the opposite of what the book says. That is when you get some surprises.

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

The nature of Menorca, the island where I work and live, like ceramics, suits me very well. I live in a natural paradise with a low population density. It is a pleasure to create and to bring out the best in me in this place. I am constantly learning about the Menorcan character.

Blanca Madruga is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2015 and she started teaching in 2020

Works

©Maria Boter

©Maria Boter

©Maria Boter

©Maria Boter

©Maria Boter

Where