Laureano Melo

A destiny forged by ceramics

• Laureano's story has a difficult start
• He won the Craftsmanship Mastery Medal in 2022
• His workshop LaureArte finds a good balance between tradition and innovation in its designs

Laureano Melo, a technical artisan from Ráquira, Boyacá, has been devoted to craftsmanship since the age of 6. His father passed away when he was very young, and his mother was left alone with 13 children. In these circumstances, Laureano and his siblings were compelled to start working with clay to generate an income. Nowadays, Laureano loves his profession: modelling with his hands, and honing the natural colour of the clay in the final pieces. He finds rewarding that people are satisfied with the products they buy from him and that they take them to their homes, thus showing Raquirá’s artisanal culture to the world. Laureano is a much-disciplined artisan, and because of this, he has worked hard to perfect his dexterity through technical courses. Today, he creates very innovative and exclusive ceramic pieces, but always doing his best to maintain the tradition. Laureano won the Craftsmanship Mastery Medal, Contemporary artisan category, in 2022, an award given by Artesanías de Colombia, the most important craft institution in Colombia.

Interview

Andres_Martinez©Michelangelo_Foundation

Andres_Martinez©Michelangelo_Foundation

When and how did you actually start?

My father died when I was young and I was left with my mom and my 13 siblings. This led us to look for a way to work for our family’s sustenance. Our mother started teaching us ceramics. The most difficult and exhausting part was preparing the clay, so I hurried to start working figures, so that I no longer had to do this task. We used to sell the figures we had made.

When did you open your own workshop?

When I was 20 years old, after 8 years of working with my mother, I got married and formed my own family. Some years ago, my mother got sick and stopped working as much as she had done before. All these factors led me to start my own workshop.

How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?

I work hard to create what my clients want. However, the essence of my products consists of keeping, as much as possible, the traditional terracotta colour of the clay on the outside part of the piece, and the enamel on the inside, which gives a more modern look. Innovation is also achieved by playing with the textures, high reliefs and low grooves.

Is there something about your work that people do not usually know?

My artisanal career has come with a lot of sacrifices to be made. However, each of these moments is worthwhile when rewards come: in 2022, I won the Craftsmanship Mastery Medal of Artesanías de Colombia, in the Contemporary category, which opened a lot of doors for me. Now my workshop is more visible in the craftsmanship panorama.

Laureano Melo is a master artisan: he began his career in 1978 and he started teaching in 1983

Works

©Andrés Martínez

©Andrés Martínez

©Andrés Martínez

©Andrés Martínez

©Andrés Martínez

Where