Ana Todo Bom

Ana Todo Bom has a name that foreshadows the quality of her work. The ceramicist was born on 30 September 1960 in Caldas das Rainha. The artist’s first contact with ceramics was through family members who worked with bricks. Her pieces, made from red clay, are fired in a brick kiln. Her professional career began with attending courses at CENCAL when it was founded in 1981 to teach ceramics. Ana then attended various courses: glazing, pottery, modelling with engobes and figurative ceramics, among others. While attending the “Figurative Human” course, she was taught by Master Herculano Elias. In 1985, the ceramist started her workshop, where she dedicated herself to making decorative and utilitarian pieces using stoneware and earthenware, having already worked in ceramics for 36 years. We saw the most varied pieces on his work table: fish, birds, vases, mugs, bowls, cups and plates. Some of these plates are very curious, as they have messages dedicated to festive dates inscribed on them. Other plates have one half painted and a decal applied to the other. It’s a contrast that makes the piece eye-catching. Ana also makes panels on which she applies pieces or plates, creating medium-sized pieces full of shapes and colour. Sometimes she uses stoneware on which she applies drips. Her pieces are a mix of the traditional and the modern, as she uses natural materials such as cork, wood, threads, crochet, logs, etc. to complement them. The colours used vary according to fashion… At the moment, pastel colours are used, which give the pieces a plastic softness. The ceramicist has taken part in numerous fairs and exhibitions nationwide. She was an instructor in the ceramic verguinha area in Óbidos and has created several projects with the aim of promoting the oldest arts in the western region, such as basketry, trapology and ceramics.