Maria Castel-Branco
Maria Castel-Branco was born in Angola in March 1973 and in 1975 arrived in Lisbon with his parents and brothers.
She grew up between the rigidity of discipline and the freedom of colors. This gave her the right tools to be able, nowadays, to work alone in her studio.
Followed the academic path typical of his generation and later began her professional career in the world of multimedia and graphic design. In addition to working in communication, image and advertising agencies, she also gave manual labor classes to children from the Alto Cova da Moura Social Solidarity Association, as a volunteer. As a semi-professional hobbyist, I designed and created personalized cakes that turned out to be sculptures and already realized the need for a plastic and creative expression.
She decided to get his hands dirty, invest in himself and deepen his knowledge of this fine art and in 2014 she started working on ceramics. She trained for a year and a half at the Caulino Atelier, where she began to challenge the potential of this art, keeping it up until this day. With Masters Ricardo Lopes and Vasco Baltazar she learned the skills of a the potter's wheel.
In her studio she dedicates herself to creating pieces that are perpetuated, regardless of trends or eras and loves the imperfections that her 100% manual craft work cannot hide. She is inspired by nature, her everyday life and her surroundings. Two of her greatest pleasures are creating large pieces and opening the kiln.
Since 2014, she has participated in several group exhibitions, one of which traveled to China, as part of the 18th Hangzou Cultural and Creative Industry Exhibition.
In 2016, she established a partnership with Pura Cal Decoration Atelier, for whom, she has created several pieces commissioned for projects by this team of decorators and has held several exhibitions at the Pura Cal store/gallery, in Lisbon, until today.
In 2017, held her first solo exhibition, at Pura Cal, “Clay Parade”. with a set of 145 peace soldiers, which still produces.
She belongs to the Portugal Manual artisans network since 2018.
In 2019 she created a piece commemorating the 23rd anniversary of Caras Decoração magazine.
In 2021, she embraced another challenge and started watercolor painting along with her work as a ceramist, which she presented in her exhibition #SÓQUENÃO.
In 2025 returns to solo exhibitions, with “Heranças e Raízes Quadradas”, at Mad Gallery, Marvila, Lisbon.
Some of her iconic art pieces can be found in several hotels such as Herdade da Cortesia Hotel, Eurotel and Mad Retreat Hotel, in Switzerland.
She works with decorators Renata Santos Machado, Lara Matos, Isabel Sá Nogueira and Atelier Dois Tons.
Maria Castel-Branco combines both her ceramic project with working in the studio of the visual artist José de Guimarães, since 2010.