Do you remember when you first thought of picking up this craft?
I decided to study ceramics after seeing the Lucie Rie and Hans Coper collection of pots at the Sainsbury Centre of Visual Arts in England in 1997. At the time, I had no idea who these people were, but the work of Coper had a huge impact on me. It was a language of expression that resonated deep.
How would you define what you do?
I use natural materials to make vessels: each piece is like a time machine, representing the time involved in its making, the moments, the decisions and the emotions. A conversation, a dance between the material and me, all that I am, past and present, is there. Embalmed forms, capturing the vulnerability and softness of the clay.
©Penélope Vallejo
What do you love most about your profession?
I love the freedom to express, working with soft natural materials and creating forms while developing my own language. People don't often know that the slabs I use to make my works are thrown on the potter's wheel. This gives it rhythm and resonance only found in wheel-thrown ceramics.
Could your craft be considered in danger?
Yes, I believe many of the traditional skills are being lost as educational institutions are in rapid decline. Online learning and teaching do not give the same level of understanding and transference of energy as real contact.