BEST PORTUGAL BRANDS
Ana Águas article
Mónica Thudichum cria peças exclusivas que unem design, contemporary art and crafts
Between art and functionality, each creation tells a story and reveals a new voice in contemporary national ceramics.
Founded in 2021, in Alto Minho, Mónica Thudichum's brand of ceramics is born from a path strongly linked to the visual arts. Between paintings and drawings inspired by the surrounding landscape, the need arose to explore a new medium that would allow us to deepen the manual gesture and the direct relationship with the material. It was in clay that he found this possibility, bringing to ceramics the same sensitivity and attention to detail that already marked his two-dimensional work.
The transition from paper to clay does not represent a rupture, but rather a natural continuity of his creative universe. The Portuguese landscape with its organic forms, rhythms and atmospheres remains a central source of inspiration, being reinterpreted through ceramic surfaces that invite touch and contemplation. Each piece becomes, like this, an extension of the artist's view of the territory, translated into objects that inhabit everyday life.
All parts are designed, designed and produced by the author herself, ensuring full control over the creative and production process. This direct involvement results in a collection of unique objects, where functionality intersects with artistic expression. The original illustrations, hand drawn on clay, give each piece its own identity, making it unrepeatable. More than utensils, These creations are small visual narratives that seek to bring poetry, beauty and meaning in everyday life.
Production is mostly carried out to order, allowing a close relationship between creator and client. From a base catalog or specific indications, each piece can be adapted, reinforcing the personalized nature of the work. This model not only values the time and care dedicated to each object, but also promotes a more conscious and participatory experience on the part of those who purchase the pieces.
The production process combines artisanal techniques with refined technical rigor. After the study and design phase, the most suitable forming methods are defined, resorting to the creation of paper or plaster molds when necessary. The clay is worked manually, stretched, Precision cut and assembled. The drying phases follow, finishing and sanding, before the first mockery cooking. Later, each piece is intervened again: hand drawn, glazed and painted with carefully chosen colors. The last firing definitively fixes the shapes and designs, revealing the final result: an object that combines technique, time and artistic expression.
Inspired by the Portuguese landscape and committed to the valorization of national clay, Mónica Thudichum desenvolve uma prática que aproxima arte e utilidade. Your pieces are not just functional, but also bearers of an emotional and aesthetic dimension that invites contemplation. By integrating art into everyday life, the brand proposes a more sensitive way of inhabiting spaces and relating to objects.
Currently with sales focused on the national market, the brand targets a diverse audience: from individuals looking for unique pieces to enrich their spaces, even companies interested in offering exclusive and personalized objects. Presence at author fairs, creative markets and associative initiatives reinforce proximity to the public and highlight the artisanal and independent nature of the project.
In a panorama in constant renewal, Mónica Thudichum asserts itself as a new voice in contemporary Portuguese ceramics, bringing with it a delicate approach, authorial and deeply rooted in the landscape and the sensitive experience of making.
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