In her studio in the countryside of Northern Italy where she was born, Paola Paronetto creates ceramics which evoke not only the spectrum of an artist’s palette but which are intriguing, tactile sculptures. Are they made of paper or clay? Or both?
During her thirty years of research she has developed an interpretation of the ancient techniques of working with clay, from the multiple expressions of raku to the technique for which she is now known : paper-clay. Honing skills learnt in in Faenza, Gubbio and Deruta - places renowned for their long history in terracotta and porcelain - she personalised her own blend incorporating natural fibres, paper and clay to manipulate and transform the material into the designs she envisaged.
In her 'Cartocci' collection she uses complex weaves of the material vertically and horizontally to craft tactile,
Each is handmade at the potter’s wheel, no two exactly the same. Groups of her sculptures bring to mind the quiet intensity of Giorgio Morandi’s art. They are not quite what they seem but they are a physical rainbow of colour and form.
Paola has forged an international career working with architects, designers and furniture makers and has exhibited at the Triennale di Milano and the Museo Mexicano del Diseño in Mexico City among others. she lives and works in Pordenone, Italy.