Paola Effio

Paola Effio
Sculptor
I was born in Lima, Peru in 1971. I attended grade school and part of
University for Psychology in Lima. However, my intention was always art. I
always appreciated the artistic diversity of Peru. The color of the Ayacucho
Altarpieces and the stories they told fascinated me, however I somewhat
deviated from my path towards art, but taking courses in all types of art were
always a necessity for me.
In 2007 I moved to Key West FL where I got married and raised 3
children. I opened a bakery called “Amazing Cakes and Creations” which I had
for over 10 years. My favorite part was making 3D cakes, turning flour, sugar,
eggs, and butter into pieces of art. However, after countless sleepless nights and
hours of work, these pieces of art always disappeared in a few minutes when
devoured by the fascinated guests, remaining only in memory through photos.
So one day I decided to dedicate myself completely to art, and it was at the
College of the Florida Keys that I discovered Raku ceramics, a Japanese
technique that consists of removing glazed ceramics from the kiln while they
are still hot and placing them in a combustible material to create a unique finish,
often characterized by a crackled glaze.
Since I began, my characters have been magical creatures that transmit
movement and emotions and that tell stories. But these characters seemed like
something impossible to do with the Raku technique because of how
complicated it would be to remove them from the kiln with tongs at 1800ºF
without breaking them. Despite these difficulties, with lots of practice and
repetition, I succeeded and since then, I haven’t been able to stop.
I have participated in several events and had the honor of winning fifth
place in an art competition held in Japan–The National Ceramics Art
Competition 2021 Japan, exhibition at the National Art Center in Tokyo.
When I create my art, I feel as if I am asking the clay for permission to
transform it into characters that convey emotions and bring out a smile, so that
maybe the earth can feel a little proud of me