Taking his inspiration from the fishing communities of his native southern Spain and drawing on its great ceramic heritage, Rafael Atencia is among the new wave of Mediterranean creatives producing contemporary ceramic pieces with traditional skill and a powerful sense of place.
Atencia weaves narratives from his cultural background and personal experience into a brilliant range of inventive and beautiful hand-crafted tiles and giftware.
The vibrant colours, exciting textures and imaginative shapes of his pieces take their inspiration from the ‘Tornos’, abandoned winches left to decay on the beaches, poignant remnants of the declining traditional Spanish fishing industry.
The humble sardine provides one of Atencia’s most striking and versatile images. Used as a motif for decorative tiles, the simple shape provides the outline for a rich palate of textured and transparent glazes and layered porcelain slip, Egyptian paste and clays, suggesting the glint of scales in sunlight or the froth of foam along the sea shore. The tiles are beautiful as individual gift pieces but can also combine to produce stunning panels.
These sardines may also escape the confines of their tiles to swim in small shoals as delightful wall pieces or sometimes find their way into the bottom of beautiful dishes, small vases and platters, surprising the viewer who peeps inside.
In addition to these decorative items Atencia produces an equally attractive range of fine white porcelain homewares, including simple thrown soup bowls and delicate sideplates with a swirl of rich colour, all made with the same skill, care and attention to detail.
Based at Clockwork Studios. Visit his website to find out more: www.rafaelatenciadesign.com
