After working in advertising, he studied ceramics at ArCo - Centre for Communication and Visual Arts in Almada, where he is now a pottery teacher. As well as being one of the responsible for setting up the ceramic workshops in Malhadinha Nova, Paulo Rosica has also been involved in a very special project using the clay from the Herdade. We spoke to the ceramicist about this and much more.
What consists of the Malhadinha Nova clay project? How did this collaboration emerge and what were the challenges in developing this project?
Rita (Rita Soares, CEO of Herdade da Malhadinha Nova) took part in a workshop with me, and from the beginning I realised that she had the same or even greater enthusiasm for ceramics as I did. She shared her idea of developing something with ceramics at the Estate. We started to think about some activities and workshops to do with the guests. We organised and created a studio and, also did some research on the soil at the Estate. I collected samples in different places, analysed them and it turned out that the clay collected there is suitable for ceramics. The intention is that the clay used in these workshops and activities will also be collected and prepared at the Estate, which is very much in line with all the work done here, with closer contact with nature and local production.
Ceramics can be seen as a form of meditation or introspection. How do you work on this aspect in your classes, whether in workshops or at Ar.Co?
Ceramics, like any other form of artistic expression, requires a long process of training and practice. However, the simple contact with clay, even without great technical knowledge, has a power to unleash people's creativity that never ceases to impress me. Perhaps that's why I enjoy working with people who have never had this experience. In my work I try to teach the minimum amount of technique necessary to work with clay, but the most important thing is to stimulate the creative freedom of each individual. Of course, at ArCo the work is much more focused on technique, but in the workshops, I always try to leave the students free to explore the limits of the clay and their own ideas.
How do workshops differ when they take place in different contexts, e.g. urban or rural? Is there a difference in the approach or creative impact of the participants?
I think there is. Being immersed in an environment like the Herdade da Malhadinha Nova's in itself provides a different state of mind, more relaxed, freer and therefore more inspiring, more creative.
What is the creative process like when you develop your pieces? What techniques or approaches do you use?
Most of my work is developed on a potter's wheel, where I feel most in touch with the material. My creative process doesn't follow strict rules. Sometimes it's done in an extremely calculated and planned way, but there are also moments of absolute freedom, something like letting the clay “speak, express itself”.
Nature is a great source of inspiration, for me, and I try express this into my work through its textures and colours. I like to mix different clays of different colours, often adding organic materials to achieve different textures.
Where can we see and purchase your work?
I currently have work on display and for sale at “Studio Cecília Lara” in Xabregas (Lisbon), which has an online shop, and also at “Atelier Mestres 1A” in Campolide (Lisbon).