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© Alberto Román
© Alberto Román
© Matías Lechuga
© Alberto Román
© All rights reserved

Juan Pablo Martínez Sánchez

  • Ceramicist
  • Úbeda, Spain
  • Master Artisan
Juan Pablo Martínez Sánchez Ceramicist
Contact
Spanish
Hours:
Monday to Friday 08:30 - 14:00/16:30 - 20:00, Saturday 09:00 - 14:00/17:00 - 20:00, Sunday and holidays 9:30 - 13:30
Phone:
+34 953751496
© Alberto Román

Intergenerational legacy

  • • Juan Pablo learned from his father and grandfather
  • • His teachers taught him respect for tradition
  • • Innovation and the desire to improve characterise his work

Since he was a child, Juan Pablo Martínez Sánchez knew he wanted to be a potter. He grew up surrounded by a family of artisans and never thought he could do anything else. His trade is a legacy that continues to be passed down from generation to generation. The region of Úbeda, in Spain, is closely linked to pottery, which has been around for 6,000 years, and it has a strong influence on Pablo's work, which is also inspired by the books he reads, the experiences he encounters, the cities he knows and the people he interacts with. For him, "there is no greater modernity than defending tradition" and he defines what he does as: tradition, respect, freedom, passion, enjoyment and disconnection.

Read the full interview

Works

  • © Juan Carlos Álamo
  • © Juan Carlos Guijarro
  • © Juan Carlos Guijarro
  • © Balta
  • © Antonio Pérez
Photo: © Juan Carlos Álamo
Openwork balls

These balls, handcrafted from red clay and metal oxides, can be used to decorate a home or Christmas tree. The balls, based on a traditional design, give a unique and handmade touch, since each of them is different. Like each of Juan Pablo’s pieces, they are cooked in a wood-fired Arab oven, according to ancient regional traditions.

Length 12 cm
Width 8 cm
Height 12 cm

Photo: © Juan Carlos Guijarro
Mudejar lace plate

This plate, handcrafted from Úbeda red clay, slip, copper oxide and enamel, is adorned with decorative motifs consisting of a series of intersecting brown lines that give rise to starry and polygonal shapes, on a green background. The design of the plate is inspired by the Mudéjar culture, a cultural root that feeds Juan Pablo’s daily work. The plate is fired in a wood-fired Arab oven, respecting traditional technique.

Length 77 cm
Width 77 cm
Height 10 cm

Photo: © Juan Carlos Guijarro
Brandy jugs

Today, the aguardiente porrón, or schnaps jug, has become decorative, but it has not lost its utilitarian side – it is perfectly prepared to contain and preserve liquids inside. It is one of the pieces that best represents life before plastic; a way of life in which reusable and caring for the environment was something every day. The jug, handcrafted from Úbeda red clay, slip, copper oxide and enamel fired in a wood-fired Arab oven, respecting the techniques of our ancestors.

Length 55 cm
Width 40 cm
Height 55 cm

Photo: © Balta
Sea clock

This ceramic installation is born from a collaboration with designer Gonzalo Galán. Humanity has always shown its interest and need to control time. In art, in any of its disciplines, it is a recurring theme, an unresolved issue with an absolute presence that, even today, continues to inspire the creation of works that try to catch it, measure it, dominate it.

Length 120 cm
Width 120 cm
Height 10 cm

Photo: © Antonio Pérez
No angel with black wings

This ceramic sculpture, handcrafted from red clay from Úbeda, manganese oxide and enamel, combines design and craftsmanship perfectly to paraphrase, reinterpret and ultimately pay tribute to one of our greatest and most beloved people from Ubeta: Joaquín Sabina. It is inspired by the cover of the album "19 Days and 500 Nights" and thus also in the first verse of the song that gives title to his latest album, "I deny everything."

Length 81 cm
Width 35 cm
Height 81 cm

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