OUR ARTISTS | ceramichedesimone

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our artists

Franco Minisolo Franco and Giovanni De Simone (founder of Ceramiche De Simone) were classmates and friends at the "Liceo Artistico" in Palermo. In 1977, Franco began his studies at ceramics school. His successful career as an artist eventually brought him back to Palermo. Today, Franco is the most experienced artist with the company and is the Visual Director.	Epifano Sgroi In 1980, at the age of 22, Epifano was personally selected by Master Giovanni De simone to learn about style and proportion. After 30 years with the company, Epifano is now the company's lead designer. He constantly works to enrich the traditional decorations with new features while remaining true to the company's timeless traditions.	Ignazio Sammarco "I will never forget how Master De simone would smile at me; it was a trusting smile." In 1972, when Ignazio was just 17 years old, Giovanni De Simone realized that he demonstrated promising artistic ability. Since 1990 he has been working with white clay and has refined his craft.
Maurizio La Placa Maurizio met Master De Simone in 1988, when he was just 21 years old. Master De Simone recognized Maurizio's organizational talent and quickly put Maurizio in charge of the company's logistics. From sales to product packaging, Maurizio has improved Ceramiche De Simone at almost every level.	Santo Cina Santo joined Master De Simone’s Scuola Artistica in 1974, when he was 17 years old. At first he was involved with “little molds”, and became so fascinated by working with red clay using a potter’s wheel that the Master put him to the test and soon discovered that the youngster had an exceptional talent. Today Santo is one of the most sought after potter and clay modelling expert. He works with a potter’s wheel as if it were an extension of his body. He is currently the head of the factory.	Serafino Durante Serafino was only 14 when he came across the Giovanni De Simone artistic school. He began working with hydraulic and mechanical presses, and eventually gained more experience by preparing clay, obtained through a combination of various minerals. Today, he is an expert in clay and brings quality to everything he makes.
Salvatore Ficano Salvatore was only 16 when he got his first glimpse into the world of ceramics, decorating half inch thick tile molds/masks. Over the years, his manual dexterity has given him success and he has mastered every phase of the production cycle, from glazing and managing the ovens to surface painting and spinning.	Pietro Greco Ina In July 1981, Pietro designed his very own personalised collection for Master De Simone, who wanted him to undergo one of his famous psycho-analysis tests. He initially began working with “little molds” for decorating and then he dedicated himself to glazing and baking, until he finally became involved in the real decorating process. Today, he is in charge of Ceramiche De Simone’s artistic kilns, due to his versatile nature and a good thirty years of experience.	Anna Maria Tarantino “You have to play with the colours” – It was because of this statement that Master De Simone introduced Anna to the world of ceramic decorating. That was in 1982. Nowadays, Anna, who is as valuable as a diamond in the decorating department, paints the surfaces of some of the more complex works and, due to a wealth of experience, she is able to continue producing the original chrome colours that indentify the De Simone brand name.
Antonia Campobello In 1984, Antonia met Giovanni De Simone and was fascinated by his artistic work at the ceramics school. She is a very fast and skilful decorator, who is above all dedicated to painting surfaces for the “Mangiallegro” and “Folk” collections. With her Palermitan warmth, Antonella strengthens the spirit of the group and brings to life the young and playful spirit of Ceramiche De Simone.	Giuseppina Gennaro Giuseppina met Master De Simone in 1980. “When I first joined the school I wasn’t sure whether I had any artistic talent, as I had never even drawn properly before”. Due to the Master’s extraordinary intuition, Giusi continues to work in production, where she designs all of the products for every collection, with complete mastery and instinctive expertise. She also deals with the complex alchemy of colours and their compositional aspects.	Caterina Lo Gelfo When Caterina met Master De Simone in 1974 she discovered two great loves at the “school”: art and her husband, who was also a pupil and a member of staff. You feel a real sense of “family” when listening to the stories of sons of sons who have worked for De Simone over the years. These days, Catherine, who is a passionate decorator, dedicates her time to painting the surfaces of designer pieces and also specialises in technical decoration and little masks.
Anna Intravaia Anna graduated from the Istituto d’Arte in Palermo and since 1986 has worked at the De Simone artistic school in the art and technical field. Thanks to a wealth of experience she manages to make the colours on the vases, plates and other items made from clay, shine like magic.	Erminia Cocuzza “Errors are fine, they are just signs of your personality” With these words full of enthusiasm and positivity Master De Simone reassured the young Erminia when she showed a desire to pursue a career within his school. Now, Ermenia is a decorator and a colour experimenter who dedicates her time to surface painting.	Alice Valenti Alice is an artist from Catania, who graduated from the “Conservazione dei Beni Culturali”. She did an apprenticeship at a workshop that makes Sicilian carts, run by Master Domenico di Mauro. She is passionate about popular traditions, and edits the “Sicilian Myths and Legends” section in the magazine Aliante. In 2011 she joined the De Simone “family” as a decorator, and was also given the role of managing external relations for the Ceramiche De Simone brand.
Elisabetta Renda Elisabetta graduated from the Istituto d’Arte in Bagheria in 2003, with her final dissertation on pictorial decoration. Since joining De Simone in 2011, she has become one of the newest members in the decorating department. She paints the surfaces of the ceramics with a painstaking precision and enormous energy.

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