The Potter: Julián Ortega Durán
History
Julián Ortega Durán is a third-generation potter, grandson of Rafael Ortega Porras — a distinguished potter from Extremadura, originally from Fregenal de la Sierra — who was awarded the National Craft Prize in 1982.
From an early age, he spent his days getting his hands dirty with clay, playing in his grandfather’s workshop. At first, he was more interested in playing and shaping the characters that filled his imagination than in formally learning the techniques, but little by little he absorbed them without realizing it, between one clay figure and the next. Later, during his teenage years, he took part as an assistant or apprentice in some of his grandfather’s works and even accompanied him as a teacher in workshops for children.
Julián working at the potter’s wheel at the age of 4. Hoy newspaper, June 6th, 1993
Later on, after studying and working as a political scientist, at the age of 27 he began his formal education as a ceramist in his home region, at the School of Art and Design of Mérida, seeking a more structured knowledge base to complement his inherited skills. Around that time, together with his partner Inés Fernández Moreno, he started participating in local craft fairs and entrepreneurship programs. At one of those events, he met and learned from the renowned tinaja-maker of Torrejoncillo, Antonio Moreno Arias. He was later awarded an Erasmus grant for Young Entrepreneurs in Ireland, where he worked alongside Adrian Wistreich at his Kinsale Pottery and Arts Centre, learning a great deal from him and from his Scottish ceramist friend Julian Smith.
He continued his studies in Madrid, at the Francisco Alcántara School of Art, where he graduated as a Higher Technician in Fine Arts and Design, specializing in Artistic Ceramics. At the same time, he was already teaching in several cultural centers for the Madrid City Council. In that environment, he had the chance to be a classmate, student, and friend to many talented ceramists who are now well established in the field. He also enjoyed the immense cultural offerings of the capital — the museums, exhibitions, and all that could be learned from them. During one of the educational trips organized in Madrid by the Moncloa School of Ceramics, to Valencia and Manises, he met the wise Alfonso D’Ors, who from that point on became a generous mentor and advisor. On that same trip, he also began a warm friendship with trencadís artist Alejandro Moreno. In the same Madrid context, he shared experiences with the brilliant ceramist Ícaro Maiterena, the formidable sculptor Jorge Yunta, and the jeweler Julieta Álvarez, among many other outstanding artists.
A firm believer in functionality over pure aesthetics, he wanted to deepen his training along that line. To that end, he began studying Industrial Design Engineering and Product Development at the University of Extremadura, in his hometown, focusing his studies on the development of ceramic products and tools for artisans. He completed a curricular internship as a designer in the Spanish ceramic industry in Castellón, at Esmaltes S.A., while also producing sigillata pieces in the workshop of the kind and wise Rafa Galindo. Additionally, he carried out an extracurricular internship at the handcrafted tableware factory Tybso in Bogotá, Colombia, under the guidance of entrepreneur and designer Camila Gómez and her invaluable team.
He completed his studies at the age of 34 with a final project titled Ecodesign of a Ceramic Tableware Set — Terralfar, in which he expressed all his values and knowledge. The evaluation committee awarded him the highest distinction, Matrícula de Honor (Honors with Distinction). Continuing in the academic sphere, Julián is currently studying Chemistry at the UNED, driven by his desire to further expand his understanding of this material while also contributing to scientific dissemination.
At the same time that he began his engineering studies, in 2018, Julián started his own pottery business in his hometown, with the support of his uncle Luis Ortega, who provided him with workspace. Since then, he has worked independently, producing pieces and offering services, mainly in teaching. He has taught at the Cultural Classrooms of the University of Extremadura on three occasions. However, the activity he has most specialized in is private pottery wheel instruction, as it allows him to dedicate full attention to individuals eager to learn. It is a source of pride for him that several of those students have since become skilled potters and dear friends.
He has also produced, mostly on commission, a wide range of ceramic works — notably his contemporary tableware with a distinctive personal style, especially bowls — as well as historical reproductions, mainly Roman and Punic. Professionally, his emotional connection with his hometown has led him to create trophies for local events, such as Claqueta Emérita, and to be part, since 2017, of the spectacular Roman reenactment festival Emerita Lvdica, for which he built his own potter’s wheel inspired by that era and enjoys teaching children dressed as Romans how to get their hands dirty at the wheel.
Equally important to him is his membership in FABlab Mérida, a privileged creative space where he contributes what he can to his peers and, in turn, learns from all they generously share — especially their genuine spirit. Regarding his region, he feels fortunate to be friends with José Antonio Guillén, known as Pirri, whose workshop he visits whenever possible, and with Ignacio Guillén — both from Salvatierra de los Barros, the pottery capital of Extremadura.
Julián working at the potter’s wheel he built for the 12th Emerita Lvdica in 2022
In recent years, following his heart, Julián has had a growing international presence across several continents. Among other noteworthy experiences, in 2023 he taught workshops and built an ephemeral downdraft kiln using recycled materials at the Eyckenstein Farm in Utrecht, the Netherlands. He also had the privilege and great honor of visiting the centuries-old porcelain workshops of Arita, Japan, as well as the Saga Ceramics Research Laboratory and other institutions, guided by sensei Dr. Katsuki Hiroaki.
In 2024, he was selected—together with Jenny Gil—by El Bastión in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, to create a series of scientific outreach sculptures that have been exhibited in various venues across Borinquén since late 2024 (Casa Pueblo, ISER Caribe, among others). In September of that same year, he presented a piece on Hispanic identity at the Fourth Meeting of Ceramists of Puerto Rico and the Diaspora, thanks to the Colectivo Keramicos and, in particular, his friend Rosa Serrano. He also developed a friendship with Puerto Rican potter Yamauco, who introduced him to the secrets of ocarina-making. Part of that year was spent in Bogotá, Colombia, collaborating with industrial designer Jorge Moreno of Ceramyst — a specialist in ceramic machinery and supplies — while also participating in several artistic projects alongside painter Gustavo Rico Navarro and the wonderful ceramists Eli and Janet of Eli’s Pottery.
The current year, 2025, has taken him between Colombia and Puerto Rico. In January and February, he exhibited a series of original, highly hybrid tableware pieces at the Hotel Virrey Central for the restaurant Calle de Guadalupe, together with several friends. Throughout the year, the Micropoderosos exhibition has continued to travel across Puerto Rico, beginning at Casa Pueblo in Adjuntas, then at ISER Caribe in Cabo Rojo. The next opening is scheduled to take place in the V.C.H.T. on the island of Vieques. During this same year, he has also begun applying his modeling skills both to handcraft religious imagery sculptures and to create virtual 3D models of microalgae for university departments in the United States.
In summary, up to the present day, Julián has developed his career as a potter across several continents, with Extremadura as his creative and emotional center. Over the years, he has focused on diverse techniques and explored multiple facets of his profession, always driven by an endless desire to keep learning and to share his knowledge with others.
Ultimately, his life has been one with clay as its guiding thread — the world as his stage, and Extremadura as both his beginning and his end.
You can follow or contact him through his professional Instagram account @j_ortegaduran or by email at info@terralfar.es.