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Rencontre
en. Slovenian is one of the rare languages to have retained
Wasn’t it possible in Slovenia?
the dual grammatical form, which means that you can
conjugate verbs as a couple. I, you, he, she… and the two of us. Mitva. That’s exactly what Karel and Marta
Pavlinc have been doing since they met on the school benches in Ljubljana.
Karel: At the time there were no schools of modern art
here. We started out in the era of ex-Yugoslavia, and there
were only schools in Zagreb and Belgrade. In Slovenia there were no basic materials for doing pottery either, like clay
or dyes. We chose to study in Italy; it was so close that it We left the town centre of Piran with its salty breeze to come up to the heights where you find Karel and
Marta’s home and studio. When we went inside, an opera was playing in the kitchen as Marta made tea and apologized for the mess that we could not see.
seemed obvious. The first time I stayed there ten days. Sometimes I went alone, sometimes we went together. You had a very promising start as ceramicists, can you tell us about it?
We had arrived without too much warning and were
welcomed like friends. Marta placed a still-steaming strudel in the middle of the table with a big pot of honey and quarters of lemon. “The honey is from
a neighbour, you’ll see it’s very good,” said Marta.
Their home is a total artists’ den, with flea-market
furniture, lucky charms and that je-ne-sais-quoi that makes you feel at home, so much so that you don’t want to leave.
Mint : How long have you been working together?
Karel: At the time, we were living in Grožnjan in Croatia, a very pretty town that is known as an artists’ refuge.
Our house was also our studio and our gallery. Twenty years ago, we would go to get clay right from the river.
We had left our teaching jobs because our new home let us live from our art. We tried painting, graphic design, photography and then pottery.
Marta: We had to have an artistic job, to have a place where we could live, work and share what we do with people. Success came quickly even though we were
working differently. In the end we were different ourselves Karel: All our life (laughs), well let’s say 40 years. We studied art at the University of Ljubljana and then we
and we have changed a lot. We aren’t old, let’s just say we are more mature (laughs).
both became teachers. Ceramics came later, we only taught drawing.
How did you learn the art of pottery? Karel: We started together by taking classes and studying different pottery techniques in Italy. It was there that we learnt the basics and the main techniques that you
have to know. We visited different manufacturers in
Italy, France and Austria, and that’s how I learned to work on a pottery wheel. But the artistic part is ours; it is something very personal.
How do you divide up your work? Karel: I work on the pottery wheel. Marta: And I paint. Karel: We make a good team. Marta is the artistic director. Marta: Karl is on the wheel and the cleaning (laughs). Karel: Yes, I also do the washing up and she cooks. I’m a feminist and she is almost a suffragette. She is very strong you know. I have no choice but to surrender!
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