
A tandem that works in sync
A tandem that works in sync
Fernando Calderón
From childhood, I was interested in drawing and painting. It was something I dedicated a lot of time to. From notebooks and colored pencils, I moved on to murals. In 1998, at the age of 17, I started tattooing, which would be my main activity until 2020. In 1999, I decided to pursue a Level 2 vocational training course in graphic design. I obtained my advanced technical degree in 2001. I also attended two drawing schools. One was the C10 Academy, and the other was the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, which has a classroom dedicated to anatomical drawing from life that I loved attending. I have my own style influenced by traditional Japanese art, old-school tattooing, graffiti, comics, and so on. I've explored different techniques such as pencil, gouache, acrylic, watercolor, digital illustration, and colored pencils, among others. I started illustrating on porcelain in 2020 during the lockdown. I began with a plate on which I painted two frogs. I quickly moved on to painting flowerpots. From then on, we started receiving commissions (what great luck for both of us!). Since then, I've focused on illustrating bonsai flowerpots and paint with oils in my free time.

Carmen Mena
From a young age, I had a knack for shaping anything I could get my hands on. I soon knew I wanted to make my hobby my livelihood. When I finished high school, I discovered a wonderful School of Arts and Crafts in Almería, which offered a Vocational Training program in Plastic Arts and Design specializing in Ceramic Decoration. I had magnificent teachers in all subjects, especially my workshop teacher, who, seeing my innate interest, taught me advanced techniques until I completed my training as a ceramist. I finished my training with the CAP (Certificate of Pedagogical Aptitude). After that, I became interested in prehistoric techniques, pit firing, saggar, smoking, and different types of Raku, which led me to investigate various firing methods in kilns I built myself, such as wood-fired kilns, gas kilns, paper kilns, and pit firings in the ground. At the same time, my modeling skills and my love for porcelain continued to grow, and I always made time to throw it on the wheel. In 2020 I developed a taste for modeling bonsai pots and I haven't stopped since.
Bitter root, sweet fruit
We are deeply honored to have been awarded the 'Best Foreign Ceramicist' prize at the prestigious Gafu-ten Exhibition in Kyoto. This event, one of the most important in the world of bonsai, brings together the finest bonsai artists and ceramicists from around the globe and is an international benchmark in the art of bonsai. We have been privileged to win this award on both occasions we have entered: the first time in January 2023 and the second in January 2025. This reflects not only the quality and dedication we put into our work, but also the appreciation with which we have been received for contributing our unique vision and style within the Japanese tradition. This award represents a significant achievement for us and reinforces our commitment to excellence in every piece we create.
Our three award-winning flowerpots at Gafu-ten 2023





And now the winners at the 2025 Gafu-ten
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