Patrizia Ramacci

Gypsea

Plaster and stucco worker

The shape of love

Patrizia is one of the few modern day stucco artists
She opened her workshop Gypsea in 1991
Her signature piece is dedicated to her town, Gubbio

Patrizia Ramacci and her husband Vittorio, both restorers by training, turned to artistic Italian stucco more than thirty years ago. They were fascinated by its sculptural qualities, by its lightness compared to stone or wood and that there hadn't been fine stucco artists in Gubbio since the early 1900s. They started from zero to re-create demand for stucco products. At the beginning, they were so inexperienced that it was all trial and error. Time and passion, though, transformed their workshop Gypsea into a regular stop for art lovers. And even if Vittorio passed away in January 2021, Patrizia goes on creating handmade pieces, true to her beloved husband’s motto: No matter what you do, the result has to be flawless.

Interview

What are the steps of your creative process?: First I draw a sketch, then I make a model with plasticine or clay and create a rubber mould. Then I pour in to it a mixture of gypsum powder and water and wait for it to harden. I remove the mould, polish the object, make it dry, polish it again, decorate and finish it.
Does it take long to create any single piece?: From a couple of hours to a few days. I’ve been repeating the same gestures for thirty years now, so my hands know their job well. The most challenging phase is the first one, when I have to understand how to turn an intuition into a real object.
Do you have a signature object?: It’s called blown stucco: it’s a blown glass sphere with stucco decorations all around it. The original and most iconic is the one dedicated to Gubbio, with its buildings and monuments literally hugging the glass, as I don’t use any glue.
What do you like the most about your work?: I love everything about it. I love the idea that my creations will generate happiness, bringing beauty into people’s homes. I love when my customers come back. And I love the slow pace of my workshop, where there’s always time for cultivating human relationships.

Patrizia Ramacci is a master artisan: he began his career in 1991 and he started teaching in 1991