ARTIST OF THE MONTH: INMACULADA BONJOCH AND HER FIRED ENAMELS
Fortunately, not only the ruins are left over from the days when the Phoenicians lived on the island. They also left us an artistic legacy: their fired enamels. And local artist Inmaculada Bonjoch knows all about this art form and currently has an exposition of her and her students’ work in the Confort Bar in San Antonio, where we can find new interesting expositions every fortnight.The elaboration of these pieces is a meticulous process which takes skill and patience, both of which are virtues of Inmaculada, who tells us that she spends at least ten hours on every piece. The process starts applying either humid or dry enamel onto a metal support, usually copper and is then fired in a special kiln at around 1000ºC. Inmaculada Bonjoch started her artistic career in Germany “so many years ago that I can’t even remember”, she tells us. Fate and destiny later took her and her family to Montevideo where she continued developing her enamel technique, in which she became an expert.
Some years later, this globetrotter moved to Salamanca, where she was employed by the Ministry of Culture where she dedicated her artistic creativity entirely to enamels.
She’s been in Ibiza for more than forty years now. “It was love at first sight”, in her own words. She fell in love with the island when she came for a holiday and has maintained her connection with Ibiza ever since. 18 years ago she opened a workshop in San Antonio, which is still open and running, to teach anybody who shows an interest not only the skills of enamel art, but also oil painting, making artificial flowers…
Inmaculada has been exhibiting her work on the island for years and every visitor can consider themselves fortunate to be viewing exclusive pieces, because Inmaculada is the only fired enamel expert residing on the island.
CONFORT BAR
C/ San Antonio, 42
Sant Antoni de Portmany
Tel. 971.340.281
www.confortplaza.com
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