Time changes everything. A pebble washed up on a riverbank, polished by years of water, movement and constant collisions, carries with it a record of its own journey. No two are the same. And yet, that’s the wonder of it. Their imperfections give each stone its soul and story.
It’s the same with people. Our life experiences, like the elements acting on a pebble, leave their traces and make us who we are. Whether we like it or not, time shapes us all. But what if we could take matters into our own hands and mould our own destiny?
That’s what I found so inspiring about ceramic artist Catarina Gonçalves when I met her at the Palácio Gama Lobo in Loulé, where her solo exhibition Fragmentos de Memória (Traces of Memory) was coming to a close: through her work, she had transformed the marks of time into something entirely her own.
Taking the wheel
Catarina was born and raised in Lagos. But her journey towards the potter’s wheel was far from straightforward. She studied physiotherapy in Silves and worked as a physiotherapist for four years before deciding it wasn’t for her and went on to study Fashion Production and Styling at ETIC Lisbon. After working as a freelancer, she moved to London, where she spent several years working as a digital visual merchandiser for a well-known fashion brand.
In 2021, she quit. She left her job in London and, returning to the Algarve, decided to enrol in a week-long, wheel-throwing pottery course with Ricardo Lopes at Loulé Criativo. She fell in love with the craft and hasn’t stopped creating since.
But how do you just become a potter, you may ask? Well, this is what I find particularly inspiring about Catarina: she was brave enough to ask. She approached local potters and asked if she could spend time with them, learn and watch them work.
And they agreed.
She travelled to the Alentejo to study with master potter Xico Tarefa and spent the following year working a few days a week at Janet Mealha’s workshop in Lagos.
Janet taught her to master the basics first while also giving her precious opportunities to experiment – something she is forever grateful for.
Eventually, a place opened up at the Oficina do Barro at Loulé Criativo, where she became a resident artist and continues to develop her practice today.
Traces of memory
As we walked around the exhibition together, I began to see that Fragmentos de Memória is more than a collection of ceramics. Through clay, Catarina explores ideas about memory, change, and the traces that time leaves behind.
Catarina works in small thematic chapters, with each series exploring a different idea or moment in her life. Let’s take a look …
The Seixo Series is a collection of vases inspired by river pebbles worn smooth by water and movement. One of Catarina’s earliest explorations, the series reflects her fascination with the subtle marks left by nature. Each piece is unique, but together they feel connected, like fragments of a larger story.
The Wheel of Wonders came into being when Catarina wondered what else could be done on the potter’s wheel. Traditionally, potters use the wheel to make pieces like cups, bowls and vases. Catarina took these familiar forms apart and recombined them in unexpected ways, creating playful sculptures that explore the possibilities hidden within the curve.
She worked on the series while pregnant and only just completed it before her son was born.
Motherhood was inspired by Catarina’s experience of becoming a mother. Decorated with swirling layers of earthy browns, creams and soft blue-grey tones, the vessels combine structured forms with soft wheel-thrown necks. The series explores the balance between strength and vulnerability, order and unpredictability. Like motherhood itself, the work reflects the willingness and ability to surrender when things don’t go according to plan.
Incision was inspired by the Caesarean birth of Catarina’s son. A rich coating of iron oxide gives the vessels their earthy tones, only to be disrupted by a single vertical incision. The cut becomes a symbol of both rupture and creation.
From there, the exhibition drifts towards the sea. In Erosion, the vessels appear weathered by the wind and waves of the ever-changing Portuguese coastline. In Current & Strata, they echo the rhythms of tides and shifting layers of earth. In Submerso, they seem recovered from the ocean floor, covered in coral-like growths and barnacles. Together, they reveal nature’s patient power to shape and transform.
The art of letting go
In a world that often feels rushed and increasingly digital, Catarina says she finds her ground in the physical. Clay calls for intention and asks us to slow down.
Every piece begins as an idea, but, somewhere between shaping, trimming, glazing and firing, it changes. The journey from raw clay to finished sculpture can take weeks – and you never quite know what you’ve got until the kiln door swings open.
Catarina may mould the clay, but she has also learned when to let it lead.
We all do our best to shape our own path, but some transformations happen beyond our control. Perhaps the beauty lies in knowing when to direct and when to let go.
Catarina also takes great joy in passing on what she’s learned and hosts workshops at the Oficina de Barro in Loulé. If you are interested in learning to take up the wheel yourself, please sign up for a class on her new website.
www.catarinagoncalvesceramics.com
Instagram: @catarinagoncalves.ceramics
