Nela Sánchez Alonso

Ceramicist

©Mari Doyama

A game of discovery

Nela was once a keen scientist
She opened her own atelier in 2008
Her sculptures emerge from spheres and organic shapes

Nela Sánchez describes her discovery of clay at first as a path to a game of sensations and emotions. She felt constantly as if she was travelling through nature. Her first contact with the material was at an artisan workshop in Madrid. Then she went to The National School of Ceramics and studied artistic ceramics. Step by step, she discovered that without any doubt she wanted to work with this material. Then she went to France and learnt the lathe technique and all the artisan processes. She continued to develop her technical skills in Manises, Valencia, one of the capitals of Spanish ceramics, where she stayed for four years. She opened her atelier in 2008. Nowaydays, she lives and works in a little Spanish village, in Segovia, along with other artisans.

Interview

©Mari Doyama

©Mari Doyama

How would you describe your discovery of ceramics?: It was a little struggle for me, because my dream was not always understood by everyone, but I never gave up on my goal to create my own projects in my studio. That’s why I think this is the most important thing to pass on to new generations: persistence to follow their dream.
Did living in the countryside impact your work?: It was a big change because I have always been a city girl, and then I settled in the country. The castillian country inspires me deeply: the fields, the horizons. Nature is an essential part of my work and my inspiration. Greens and blues are my favourite colours.
What was your first step as a ceramicist?: I began making sculptures, and as a consequence, lamps and boxes. I am interested in everything that is connected with nature, with organic processes. My pieces are a reflection of the different ways of life I find in my environment. Cells, galactic shapes, sea organisms, eggs forms.
What kind of techniques do you use?: I like to work with enamel and texture, with different temperatures and materials, specially stoneware. But every piece is unique, singular, with a specific finishing. My seal is colour. These techniques are traditional, and the design is contemporary. I look for the poetic side of every piece.

Nela Sánchez Alonso is a master artisan: she began her career in 2000 and she started teaching in 2010