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The sensation of molding clay until she transforms it into art is the driving force for artisan Glenda Ojeda-Fradera. She creates beautiful pieces that pay tribute to Puerto Rican culture.

Without intending to, the woman, who works in public safety, discovered her passion through happenstance at the Liga de Arte of San Juan, where she went to accompany a family member in 2010.

Since then, she has been captivated by a craftsmanship that has allowed her to convert clay into impressive figures alluding to the Three Wise Men, Don Quixote, saints, dolls and typical Puerto Rican elements.

“My experience began when I went to accompany a family member to the Liga de Arte (Art League of San Juan) and, among the classes [they offered], I saw a clay making one. I got excited by what I saw. Honestly, I went to entertain myself, because I don’t come from a family of artisans. But I liked it so much that, from then on, I continued taking classes to get better. Then I got certified,” said the Guaynabo artisan.

She first began making urns, “round shapeless things molded by hand, but nothing specific. Just doing things, searching for my passion.”

Thus she continued making pots, vases and other decorative objects for the home. This is done through the use of “a moldable clay that hardens after firing, giving life to figures and small sculptures.”

The result of her artisanal work motivated this woman to set up a workshop where she continues making striking pieces “in her free time.”

“I make Quixotes, Three Wise Men, typical Puerto Rican elements; basically whatever [customers] request from me. I make dolls, I make angels. I also made a Saint Sebastian, with all his little details and everything,” she said, noting that “my forte are Quixotes.”

Likewise, she mentioned that the most complicated pieces, in terms of time, are the Three Wise Men.

“I make them constantly. They take me more or less two hours to shape, depending on the complexity. Since the piece involves three figures, it takes me longer, about two hours [with each figure]. Each figure, although it’s one main piece, carries its own colors and complexity,” she added.

When explaining the procedure for molding her art, Ojeda-Fradera explained that “the clay comes in a 25-pound bar. From there, you mold it, cut it and keep molding what you want to make.”

“When it’s (done), you give it details, and you put the clay to dry. After I make them, they have to be left to dry, which can take a day or two, depending on how complex the piece is. Then, it goes on to be fired for the first time in a specialized oven meant for this type of material,” she noted.

“Then it’s painted with a special paint meant (to handle that) type of oven. After it’s painted, the piece is fired in the oven again and that’s how the paint comes out shiny. So a piece can take four or five days. It’s a whole process,” she highlighted.

As a result of her efforts, Glenda has created over 400 pieces since she started in 2010.

She highlighted that most of her pieces were requests from family and friends who supported her crafting feat. However, in 2012, an invitation to a Puerto Rico National Guard crafts fair at Camp Santiago in Salinas, is what finally propelled her work to another level.

“I sold everything at that fair and received a lot of commissions. I haven’t stopped since then. I sold all my pieces in 2012. And I’ve continued taking on commissions because I’m passionate about working with clay,” she concluded.

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