Garcés, Fernando

First name: 
Fernando
Initials: 
F.
Surname: 
Garcés
Birthplace: 
- Spain
Working period: 
1991
CV: 

Fernando Garcés graduated in ceramics from the Escuela Oficial de Cerámica Francisco Alcántara in Madrid (1987 - 1990). Since 1991 he has been a full professor of ceramics at the Escuela de Arte de Talavera de la Reina, and currently holds the position of Head of Studies. Amongst various activities in which he has participated he has developed the workshops "The lathe as a tool" in the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cuenca. Parallel to his extensive teaching curriculum, with experiences here and abroad, he produces a personal work in his workshop. The lathe is the object of study in his production, working either with stoneware or porcelain, even combining both materials in the same body. In his work the white and the tonalities of the clay - bare or glazed - are combined to provide an interesting mixture by contrast of textures (soft/rough), even contrasting with a clear rusticity the precious addition of the use of gold is applied as a brushstroke or stroke of full effect of suggestions. Garcés manages to seduce us from the set of installations in which the shape of the bowl is recurrent to configure a landscape that goes beyond its utilitarian character.

Concerned with maintaining tradition, his work references historical Spanish ceramics and at the same time is clearly contemporary. For example, his recurrent use of gold is clearly influenced by traditional Hispano-Moresque Lustreware. In this respect, he has given various lectures on Hispano-Moresque Lustreware at schools and conferences, including the First International Ceramics Conference in Cotta Terra, Deruta, Italy in 1999.
He has taken part in projects with artists and researchers from various universities such as Taiwan’s National Institute of Artistic Research, the Fine Arts University of Musashino in Tokyo, the Universidad de Arquitectura y Diseño of Guadalajara in Mexico and the Facultad de Bellas Artes of Cuenca, Spain. Since the beginning of his career he has been in close contact with artists and ceramists from different countries who have, without any doubt, enriched his work. In 1997 while in Ireland, he worked with a group of potters dedicated to the production of wheel thrown domestic ware. Since returning to Spain, he has had close contact with Japanese ceramists who have given him a deep understanding of both the culture as well as traditional ceramic techniques. His collaboration with European and American ceramists is also worth mentioning, especially with potters from England, Italy, the United States and Canada. Wood firing methods, which are deeply rooted in Asian culture, have significantly influenced his work. He has built several kilns in Spain in collaboration with institutions and professional potters who share his love of wood firing. Another element in the work of this ceramist is his use of the potter´s wheel, a traditional tool which he aspires to preserve in a contemporary setting. As evidence, he has taught a series of workshops entitled “The Potter’s Wheel as a Tool”. The work of Fernando Garcés is characterized by pure lines and neat, synthetic volumes. They are the result of his technical mastery, focusing on the silence of forms.(text website artist).

Images: Fernando Garcés, portrait (source Diario de Valladolid); 2 vases (source website artist); 3 vases (source website artist); 10 cones, 2020, photo Manu Reino (source e-mail artist).