Danijela Pičuljan

From programming to ceramics

• Danijela takes an experimental approach to traditional techniques
• Nature and travelling are sources of inspiration
• Her workshop is open to anyone interested in ceramics

Danijela Pičuljan grew up in a family of artists. Her grandfather was a musician, and her brother a painter. She used to spend a lot of time around their studios as a child but eventually studied to become a programmer. Later on in her life something shifted. “I remember when, at the age of 28, I asked myself, who am I and what do I want to do in life? At that time, I was already married and the mother of two lively little boys and dealing with them took up all my time. I had a great need to start doing something creative again, and at the urging of a friend I enrolled in a ceramics school. It was love at first sight! That's where I finally found myself.”

Interview

©Vop Creative Marketing & Promotion Agency

©Vop Creative Marketing & Promotion Agency

How and when did you start your workshop?

I have been working with ceramics since the late 1990s, at first in a home studio. In 2019 I opened Atelier Pičuljan in Varaždin – a space where I work on my own projects, but also organise ceramic workshops and courses.

Which specific techniques are you using in your work?

Ceramics offers countless possibilities for both shaping and decorating. I often use materials atypical for potters, for example, fibreglass soaked in liquid porcelain, to shape my sculptures. I always experiment with technologically demanding processes.

What is the most satisfactory part of your practice?

The clay is pliable and soft, and working with clay is meditative. Immersed in the process of creation, I tend to forget about the outside world. I like exploring the possibilities of materials but also my own abilities to create something new.

Where do you search for inspiration?

In nature, especially the marine environment, but also in my experiences of new places, people and cultures while travelling. Sometimes my work is a simple reflection of my inner state or everyday situations in relation to other people.

Danijela Pičuljan is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2000 and she started teaching in 2020

Works

©Srećko Budek

©Srećko Budek

©Srećko Budek

©Srećko Budek

©Vedran Hunjek

Where