Marta Jorio

Ceramicist

Ceramic creations born from a wild imagination

Marta works primarily in ceramics and practises other crafts, too
Her work with ceramics is influenced by the years she spent in Mexico
Her use of colour stands out in her creations

Marta Jorio is a multidisciplinary artist-artisan who practises a plurality of crafts such as ceramics, illustration, engraving and fabric painting. Her passion for drawing and art blossomed when she was a young girl. She attended a high school for art and later studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, where she graduated in painting with Concetto Pozzati. Marta lived in Mexico for a couple of years where she experimented with an artistic practice, characterized by strong manual skills. "This experience was crucial for me. I consider travelling the world, discovering cultures and artistic techniques to be my vocation," she says. Marta worked in art education with children in Sicily. In 2015, she opened Officina Margherita, her studio-workshop.

Interview

What drew you to expressing yourself with ceramics?: After dabbling with painting, engraving and illustration, working with ceramics was a natural return for me. I worked quite a lot in modelling when I was in art school. Additionally, the years I spent in Mexico were conclusive – I encountered an artistic culture very tied to manual skills and papier-mâché modelling.
Where do you find inspiration?: I find a lot of inspiration in nature, without a doubt. I also visit many exhibitions. I am fascinated by ceramics from different contexts, such as decorative works, Middle Eastern pieces, Chinese porcelain and pre-Columbian artifacts. I like the juxtaposition of things that are very distant from each other, paradoxical even.
What distinguishes your work?: My particular use of colour stands out in my varied creations. Colour for me is a sort of obsession. My mother was a seamstress and my father was a clothing merchant and an aesthete with a passion for silk and ties, so I grew up surrounded by colours.
What do you love most about being a ceramicist?: The path that I have chosen is the only path for me. I started drawing when I was 14 and I have not stopped since. It is a passion that has evolved with study, practice and experimentation. I can say that I am what I do – with or without success.

Marta Jorio is a master artisan: she began her career in 2003 and she started teaching in 2003