Unreal Artists X Cristina Pais Dias
MEET OUR FEBRUARY CREATIVE: THE EVER-TALENTED CRISTINA PAIS DIAS!
Hailing from Portugal, Cristina Pais Dias is a ceramics artist with more than 10 years of experience creating, showcasing, and teaching others her craft. Inspired by nature - especially cacti - and various geometric shapes, Cristina’s work is a colorful representation of the memories she has collected through her many years as a ceramic artist. Today, Cristina balances life as an artist, mother, and grandmother in the beautiful city of Lisbon.
What are your main sources of inspiration? Tell us about the top 3 references for your work.
My sources of inspiration are very diverse. Nature is definitely one of them (plants, particularly cacti, seaweed, animals), but shapes and forms in paintings and everyday objects also captivate my attention. Colour is and has been, since the beginning, a very important part of my work.
Do you have a special routine or ritual to enable creativity? Share it with us!
I usually go to the atelier to work on my pieces every day, but the ideas and creativity emerge without any specific ritual or routine. In fact, I am not very fond of routines.
Do you use your fashion style as a way to express your personality/creativity? Has fashion ever been a source of inspiration for you? If so, can you give us a concrete example?
Fashion is always present in my creativity, but style and taste are much more dominant in my work. The cultural products of the 60s, such as patterns and vivid colours, which I love, are quite visible in many of the pieces.
What is your favorite piece that you have created and what does it represent within your line of work?
I do not have any specific preference for any of my pieces, though the first objects I created were cacti. In some way, these are always present in the work I have created subsequently.
Do you use your art to convey any social or political issues? If yes, what are the current movements you relate to the most?
No. Of course, I do have political ideas and choices, but I do not try to express them in my work.
Do you think it’s important to be part of a creative female group? Are you part of any in particular? Do you have a female role model you relate to?
For my work, it’s not important to be part of a creative female group. However, I do think it is important to be part of a creative, inclusive group that in some way inspires an artist.
What are some of the key elements that would make you want to collaborate with a brand?
Collaborating with a brand could be very stimulating. I enjoy working with new people and believe that open-mindedness leads to refreshing ideas. The brand could be a new source of inspiration for my work or it could lead me to new paths, and vice-versa.
Do you identify with Unreal Fields? If so, how?
Yes, I do identify with this brand, particularly the colours used in its products. The way in which the products are publicized is very attractive, and I relate to it.
If you could participate in a photoshoot with a pair of Unreal Fields shoes together with one of your works, which work would that be?
A very colourful pot that takes us back to the 60s, which I made in 2020.
What's your favorite UF shoe model?
Definitely the Step Up Creepers.
