The fourth interview of
Ceramics and people is dedicated to Eli Moretó. She is a ceramist and teaches classes in Gracia, Barcelona.
Her work, of great quality, has a delicate appearance and always seeks to be useful to those who buy it. For us, she is the perfect example of what in Japanese we say 用の美 (you no *bi), which we could translate as the beauty of utility.
Moreover, Eli was Anna's teacher, and for us, she will always be part of our project.
If you want to see her work or find out more about her classes, you can do so through her website pastafangs.blogspot.com or her Instagram profiles @eli_moreto and @pastafangs.
(This interview was originally conducted in Catalan. The photos of the pieces have been taken by Eli Moretó and are his property).
WORK
When did you start making ceramics?
I started when I was twenty years old, as a hobby. At home, I made a little bird, and I looked for a place where I could fire it. I went to ask at the Argila School (which no longer exists), and the teacher told me that she wouldn't fire it for me because if I had never made ceramics before, she couldn't know if the construction of the piece was well done.
She began to explain things to me about ceramics, among them, she told me that if there was an air bubble inside the piece, it could explode inside the kiln. I was surprised, but I took the opportunity to look at the school, to find out what they were doing...
I think something inside me was awakened. When I got home, I fired the bird in the kitchen oven and it exploded. I immediately understood that the woman was right! Her name was Maite Sancho. So I started to learn ceramics with her. Maite will always be a very important reference for me. As a ceramist but, above all, as a teacher.
How did you know you wanted to be a ceramist?
Nowadays, children are told to do whatever they want. In my time, on the other hand, we were told that we had to have a career to make a living, and ceramics was not a career with which you could make a living.
I studied a career that had nothing to do with it, and at the same time, I was learning ceramics. At a certain point, I started to intensify the time I spent on ceramics. I must have been about 30 or 35 years old when I decided to dedicate myself completely to it. I wish I had started doing it earlier, but that's how it was (laughs).
Do you have any reference points when it comes to deciding what your pieces will look like?
Historical, archaeological and traditional pieces are also important reference point for me and this includes talking about anonymous authors. They are the "root" of ceramics and I feel very attached to them. Besides this, my references have to do above all with a way of understanding the creative process.
I could mention Lucie Rie or Hans Copper and of contemporary ceramics from our own home I think of Maria Bofill and Isabel Barba. I also like Rosa Amorós and Claudi Casanoves. They are all artists who work from the potential of the material. I give a lot of value to this.
There is a phrase by Henry Moore that I always keep in mind and that for me is a premise to follow: Only when you work directly with the material can this material intervene in the shaping of an idea.
At the school where I studied ceramics, they always asked you to design the piece without touching clay, drawing, writing... First, you had to do a whole theoretical project, and it wasn't until the end that you finished materializing the piece. It's hard for me to work like that. Until you touch the clay and make it do things to see what happens, you can't incorporate these things into the piece.
I'm more of a person who looks for my language directly through what I discover in the material... The hands go first, and then I analyse what works for me and what doesn't. This doesn't exclude the fact that there is a part of the piece that I may have previously thought of. If you don't investigate how clay deforms, how it vitrifies, how it shrinks, how each specific clay behaves... you will never create a piece that includes all this.
There are also things that a certain material won't allow you to do because it has its limits. A designer may come to you with an idea, and maybe you have to tell him that you simply can't do it with ceramics in the way he's thought of.
What do you think a piece needs to be of quality?
It depends on what you are aiming for, which can be a utilitarian or artistic objective. For a utilitarian piece, the essential for me would be that it is suitable for its functionality.
For example, if you make a water jug that weighs a lot, you won't use it. We have to know what we have to take into account for the piece to be truly utilitarian. But one does not exclude the other, and you can make a utilitarian piece that also has an artistic connotation.
In the case of the artistic piece, I am especially attracted to see authenticity in the creative process and that the work reflects something unique and non-transferable to the artist.
What is the part of the process of making a piece that you enjoy the most?
The part I enjoy most is the wheel throwing. It can be with any type of clay, as each one has its particularities, and I enjoy playing with this diversity. For me, it is a challenge to be aware of the differences involved in working with each clay and to explore what they can do in each case.
Do you always work with the same clays?
Normally I do. As a ceramist, you choose your materials because the more you work, the more you know them, and this allows you to have more control over what you want to do. I usually work with 2 or 3 types of clay.
Anyway, the more ceramics you make, the more you can work with any material other than the usual one. All the previous experience helps you to be able to deal with a clay you have never touched before, and it is always a very enriching experience to try new materials. I also like to do it from time to time.
Do you look to other artistic or craft fields to develop your work?
I'm sure that experiences such as visits to museums, exhibitions, readings, etc. end up having an impact in one way or another on the way I create. I don't have a very premeditated way of working. I make, I experiment, and from what comes out, I select, and keep what tells me something. In this more intuitive method of working, references related to other artistic fields that have interested me will inevitably intervene.
What kind of work do you normally do?
Mostly utilitarian pieces. Even when I've made a slightly artistic piece, the basis has always been utilitarian.
What is the next piece you would like to make?
I can't tell you which piece in particular... I know what clay I want to work with, I know the one I want to try, but until I try it I don't know where I'll end up. What is almost certain is that it will be a utilitarian piece.
STUDIO
What is the content of your pottery classes?
On the one hand, there is the regular course where we work with the electronic wheel, although we also learn decorative techniques to finish the piece. On the other hand, I also give intensive courses where, apart from wheel throwing, I also teach other subjects such as the composition of glazes, their application, etc.
How many students do you normally have per session?
I have a maximum of 6 students per session. There is room for more students in the workshop, but I like to work with small groups.
Do you have students of very different ages?
Yes, from very young people to people who have already retired.
What are the profiles of your students?
Very diverse. To tell you, some of them, are retired students and others are young people who are just starting to learn ceramics. Of these, some have started to do ceramics with me and then have gone on to study on official courses. I have had students who have ended up becoming ceramists!
Are your students' studies or work related to the world of crafts, art or ceramics?
Not necessarily... The workshop is attended by people who want to relax themselves as much as by people who want to train. Some students even have a workshop or a shift at home.
When a student makes ceramics for the first time, what are the most common reactions?
They are as diverse as there are people! Some people get really overwhelmed, and some people get super excited with the electronic wheel (laugh).
Do you think that working with clay makes you connect with your body?
This depends a lot on the person. In my case, it depends on the moment. Sometimes I connect a lot, but at other times, I can be doing more productive work, and I'm thinking about other things. In the most creative moments, there is a lot of connection, and in more decisive moments, not so much.
As for the students, there is a bit of everything. The electronic wheel is like a glass ball. The personality of each one is reflected a lot just by putting their hands together. Some people are already very connected to the body and some are not.
But this is not about the clay, I think that in the end, each person works with the clay in the same way as they relate to anything else in life. Some students have difficulties because they are not used to listening to their own bodies or their reactions of the material.
On the other hand, some people have never tried wheel throwing, and when they try it for the first time, they get it right because they are very aware of what is going on between their hands. It's very much related. Body awareness helps enormously so that you can make progress in learning of wheel throwing.
Is it important that we make objects with our hands that we can use later?
Absolutely. It's one of the reasons why I make utilitarian pieces. For me, the link with the other through which I create is very relevant. This necessarily implies that, in addition to production, there must be reflection. Doing for the sake of doing, either.
What satisfies you most as a teacher?
I'm most satisfied when a piece comes out of the kiln and the student is happy, and if the piece is well-made, I feel even better. But what I like most is when I see the evolution of my students.
When you see people who couldn't even centre the clay the first time they tried the wheel, and now they are producing pieces that are very well-made on their own, it's a great satisfaction for me. It means that what I do is useful and that the other person is enjoying it. You can't ask for more!
What would you say to a person who wants to do pottery, but doesn't do it because they think they won't know how to do it well?
Here there is the prejudice of the person who thinks this without having tried it. You have to try it and see if you can do it or not. If you really enjoy it and want to do it, even if it is difficult for you, go ahead!
But it is important to be open-minded, to be demanding, but above all to understand that mistakes are part of the learning process.
For me, the important thing is that you feel good about what you are doing, that you have a good time even when things don't go well. If there is desire and perseverance, the piece will eventually come out. Learning to throwing is like learning to dance, and you learn to dance by dancing.
