Meet Feliciano Abaurre of Dallas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Feliciano Abaurre.

Feliciano, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Here is a little about me:
– How did your move to Georgia influence your practice?
When I arrived to georgia I had to get familiarized with the clay, built a kicking wheel and started trying differents shapes and textures.
The first production was all pit fired at low temp until i built a low temp kiln.
After a while a potter friend gifted me an Electric kiln and the world of glazes started. I had never used glaze or high temp fire before coming to the US.
– You began working with clay in 2010 while living in the mountains of northern Argentina. How did you begin making and what captivated you about ceramics?
I started with a potter friend painting his pots with pigments and oxide, mostly prehispanic animal motives after a while I decided to give the wheel a try.
I had been handbuilding figurines,pipes and little instruments,but the idea of a production potter and becoming one with the clay and the wheel was what most facinated me.
Something I always remember- the foundation of my work is when I decided to start and my friend told me, “ok, lets go to the mountains and get some clay! “
A beautiful conection of man and natural, after that the pot can be anything the clay wants!
– Your vessels incorporate motifs and techniques from around the world. What usually draws you to a particular symbol or method?
Im básicaly a southamerican potter interpretating the folk pottery or southen pottery of the US.
When i first got here I use to help my wifes grandpa doing a farmers market selling his veggies, I use to take some of my pots and put them in the table I remember having a prodction of wine bottles and carnaval masks and he told me about the facejugs wich was like putting a mask to a bottle! I loved it !
My work is conected with what is going on around me, the woods, the animals, the clay, the fires, using local clay and glazing mostly with different ashes of trees.
Transformation, fear, death,happynes ,sillynes!, sometimes is just having fun and having a conversation with clay, when im in the studio i forget who I am.
Symbols, textures, come from around here or the past, ancients cultures inspire me , with respect and love clay guides you.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not having conections and speaking just a little english was hard ( still is sometimes!)

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Working with wild clay and woodfiring is always a risk, but I take it, I have lost full production due to this !
Taking time to explore and experiment instead of doing what I usually know I can sell I consider it a risk.
When I decided to do this full time was a big risk for me too.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: El Gaucho Virgen
• Facebook: El Gaucho Virgen