Antonio Julio López Castro

Ceramicist

©Charlotte Nunan-Bordes

©Image Makers

©Charlotte Nunan-Bordes

©Bryan Rutledge

In conversation with clay

Antonio makes simple but beautiful forms
He draws colours from the Irish landscape
His work is in the National Museum of Ireland

Antonio Julio López Castro has always been fascinated with making things and with colour. This goes someway to explaining his dual identity as painter and potter. Love brought him to Ireland and he now works from a studio that was once the childhood home of his wife. Here he creates work which is influenced by the colours and textures of the Irish landscape, combining the ‘wetness’ of a gloss glaze with the ‘dryness’ of a matt earthy brushstroke. Though he often starts with sketches and creates colour studies, he describes his process as being centred on the potter’s wheel itself; working directly with the material. His collection of water droppers is particularly striking for its strong forms and organic colours.

Interview

©Image Makers

©Image Makers

What is special about clay?: It is a challenging material in many ways, in particular porcelain. It is always testing your knowledge, your skills and pushing you on. You need to learn to listen to it, so I am interested in that conversation with the material.
Is there anything people misunderstand about your work?: People regard pottery or ceramics as a calming or meditative activity, but it can actually be very physically demanding, so you need to take care of yourself. Also, things always take longer to make than people think.
What is a stand out moment for you professionally?: When the National Museum of Ireland purchased one of my pieces for their collection. It is a pinhole camera made of stoneware, with a group of photographs I took with the camera. These were then printed on to small porcelain discs.
What is a well crafted object to you?: For me it is where consideration, care and attention has been given to the finished object, be it in fine details, the quality of the craftsmanship, or in how it serves its intended function. And at the same time, it will have a certain beauty.

Antonio Julio López Castro is a rising star: he began his career in 2019