Paula Tapia

Unexpected pieces

• Paula is Argentinean but lives and works in Spain
• She loves Barcelona for its cultural diversity
• She draws inspiration from the beauty of rocks and geological formations

With a degree in art and design from a high school in San Juan, Argentina, Paula Tapia studied geology in her country until she decided to dedicate herself to ceramics. In search of training, she left her university studies and travelled to England, Spain and Denmark, contacting master artisans such as Martin Loew, Corrie Bain and Eric Landon. She learned from them and shared their kilns until she forged her own style of work. In 2017, back in her hometown, she opened her first atelier. But after a restless year, she emigrated to Barcelona, where she set up Tierra Cerámicas, a studio, boutique and school that she now runs with her partner, Jose Luis Baigorri. There, she produces functional and decorative ceramics and trains future ceramicists. “My aim is that everyone can connect with my objects and make them their own” says the craftswoman, for whom each one of her pieces, like a new journey, is an unpredictable adventure.

Interview

©Mónica Bertolucci

©All rights reserved

Why did you choose this career?

Out of passion – and the need to work with my hands every day. Also because of my connection with clay, one of the noblest materials I know. I didn't know if ceramics was going to be a profitable profession, but luckily it has turned out well.

What are your most important skills?

I enjoy sculpture. I like to bring the textures, patterns and colours that I see in other places or objects into my pieces. Also, things that inspire me, like the cultural diversity of Barcelona or rocks and geological formations, for example.

How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?

I express tradition in the techniques I have learned from my teachers. Innovation is the personal stamp I put on my pieces, what surrounds me today and my sources of inspiration. This is how I create my identity and my style.

What would you suggest to young artisans starting out?

Never stop learning, improving and getting to know the work of other artisans from the rest of the world. Practice a lot, respecting all the stages along the way. Ceramics, like personal and professional growth, has trials, errors, successes and disappointments. From these you will draw the most attractive thing, your own identity.

Paula Tapia is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2015

Works

©Mónica Bertolucci

©Mónica Bertolucci

©Mónica Bertolucci

©Mónica Bertolucci

©Sofia Chopitea

Where

Experiences

Ceramic working space in Barcelona

Error

180 EUR per person

Pottery course in Barcelona

2 Hours

135 EUR per person

Ceramic workshop in Barcelona

3 Hours

95 EUR per person

Ceramic class in Barcelona

3 Hours

95 EUR per person