I was born in 1934 in Vila Nova de Gala, a town that lies in the left margin of the river Douro, in the north of Portugal.

    Due to the geological formation of its subsoil, rich in feldspathic granite, kaolin and clay, the town of Gaia developed an important activity in the ceramic industry in the 18th and 19th centuries, and became the most important centre of ceramic in Portugal.

    Of the workers that worked the clay, a remarkable number of sculptors were born. They transformed not only the ceramic but also the granite, in true and beautiful works of art. It is in this atmosphere that my childhood and adolescence were developed.

    I remember the attraction that I already felt for the clay that the water of the rain transformed in a mouldable paste and my first experiences to give form to that paste. It was the beginning of a passion, the beginning of an obsession. The next step was the school and with her the first technical and scientific knowledge.

    When I was 22 years old, I began working in a ceramic company, whose main production was refractory materials. For 45 years, I carried out functions of technical responsibility and management, which allowed me to use the raw materials and high firing temperatures. Obstinate, I made a lot of research, experimentation, and investigation, which gave me the information that I needed to understand better the ceramic process.

    Already with plenty of technical knowledge, I began making my first works of art. My travel to the world of art, namely to the fabulous, enigmatic universe of the ceramic, begins here.

In my own studio, my creative and artistic activity has been developing in the conception of works of art that go from the small hybrid forms, oneiric relief plaques, thematic series in bi and tridimensional shape until the big murals, in low or high relief. The themes and the specific allegorical representations depend on its communicative function and on its integration in the monumental and architectonic space, intervening in the animation of public and private spaces. They go from the biblical representation and historical facts to the simple plastic animation of a space. The photos show some of the referred works.

In the works of free creation, for instance, plaques of 1.0/1.5cm thick and 90.0*70.0cm .I use the hand-pressed tiles technique. The treatment of the surface is made with textures，transfers and sometimes using elements in relief and graphism. In the case of the great murals, in low or high relief, I use modular plaques of suitable dimensions, pre-shaped by extrusion——2.5cm thick．I mould up directly the plaques using the wet process, obtaining the final product without using I always use high fire stoneware.

After a first firing at 800℃. I go on with the chromatic treatment, using metallic oxides  iron, copper, cobalt, manganese, etc, then I apply, by pulverization, transparent, matt or shining glaze, according to the desired chromatic effect. In some cases, I use engobes and also coIoured glazes, namely red and blue. The second firing is at 1180/1200℃in electric kiln.

My works are characterised by the treatment of the surfaces with textures and graffiti and sometimes by the printing in low or high relief, of objects that produce textures and oneiric effects on them. I also use the matte and the shinning glaze in contrast.

The simultaneous use of pastes with different characteristics to the firing temperature is used with the objective of obtaining kind of “sandwich” structures.

The RAKU technique is another area of the universeof ceramic that I have experimented a lot.

In short, I’ve described my activity and my work as a ceramist sculptor. The photos will contribute to understand better the written text.

As a ceramic artist, I feel honoured to be included in this publication, hoping that my participation and the provided material can help to reach your objectives and be a contribution to the divulgation of the millenary art of giving form to the clay transforming it, through the action of the fire, in fantastic works of art.