'My Morning Cup of...' with Jazmin Velasco
Jazmin Velasco is a Brazilian born print maker and ceramist who produces beautiful regency figurines. We catch up with her to talk about her studio and inspiration behind her beautiful ceramics collection.
What drink do you have to start the day?
A very strong cup of coffee. Milk, no sugar. That changes in Winter, because the very first thing I have - before the coffee - is a glass of water with five drops of echinacea tincture to prevent all sorts of colds, coughs etc. Very good for you.
What are your studio essentials?
Which studio? My husband is begging me not to get any more studios. We share the printmaking and painting studio. I have my own woodwork studio and the pottery. We just made an extension to the pottery studio as I got a bigger kiln.
A very important and essential tool this past Summer was a transparent bag filled with water hanging on the door. It is the most effective way to ward off flies, of which we had millions, especially when the farmers fertilise the fields.
What do you listen to whilst you work?
Silence is essential. The pottery studio is in the garden and I love the background sound of birds, tractors, cows in the distance, the chickens clucking outside my door etc.
I very seldom bring music to the workplace, I like listening to my thoughts.
What has been the most influential advice someone has given to you?
I was 18... I think... when I started working as a graphic designer and my boss said to me that everybody should always ALWAYS act or create anything having their future biographers in mind.
What was the last thing you saw that inspired you?
My husband is begging me not to get any more books. We are running out of space. But I need them. I read loads of biographies of 18th century people to get ideas for the Georgian-Regency series of figurines. I read somewhere recently about this lady who was called the Lion Queen and who was mauled by a tiger in the middle of a performance and I thought it could be a good companion piece for 'The Death of Munrow' inspired by a poor soldier who was also eaten by a tiger in India.
