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- Carmen Soto
Carmen Soto
"I'm Carmen Soto Palomino. I was born in the beautiful Peruvian province of Ayacucho in 1979.
"It all began when I was a little girl and my cousins and I would get together to play. We spent a lot of time together and they were the ones who introduced me to ceramics. At first, it felt like a game. But I really liked to paint and wanted to learn the craft. Molding and shaping the clay was a total challenge but I loved it. Learning the technique wasn't easy and only constant practice let me master it. Along the way, I discovered my passion for pottery and eventually was able to create distinguished designs of my own. <br><br>
"I've had some difficult times at different stages of my life but one of the hardest was when my husband and I separated. Emotionally, it hit me very hard and I felt like I'd never get over it. Thanks to my family and their support, I was finally able to move on. They stayed close to me and offered me a hand when I needed it most. <br><br>
"I enjoy innovating with my designs and love to depict the experiences of my people, of my town. Not only in our traditional <i>retablo</i> dioramas but also images of our daily life, such as tractors, buses and taxis, the moto-taxis and the collective vans carry people and cargo. <br><br>
"For me, the greatest challenge is painting a finished image and finding the right color combinations for each one. I love mixing paints and discovering tones I might not have known of. I love all the brightness and color that represents Ayacucho. <br><br>
"My inspiration comes from life in our town, our customs, our colors seen in the natural world around us. It's life itself that we are sometimes unaware of. <br><br>
"Once, I took my ceramics to a craft fair in Argentina. I was on my way when officials stopped the bus I was on. We were in a mountainous zone and these officials confiscated all the pottery I was taking to exhibit. I never really understood why and I never made it to the fair. It was almost three weeks after the fair ended that I got my ceramics back by paying almost 1,800 soles. <br><br>
"My situation was critical. I hadn't sold anything at all and I had to spend the money I had to get my works back. Little by little, I was able to recover from this loss. Then one day, a shopper bought a number of my designs and I finally saw some income again. <br><br>
"One of my loveliest dreams is to expand my workshop and offer my ceramics to people everywhere. I want to give my daughter the best I can so that she can achieve her own dreams. I'd love to attend international fairs and hope to be recognized some day for the art I create with my hands."
