Andrea Fábrega

Wheel-Thrown and
Hand-Formed
Porcelain in Miniature



One-of-a-kind miniature pots,
each thrown on a full-sized wheel











New Exhibit and More!

I was thrilled that one of my 'large' ceramic works,
'Transfer of Humanness', was accepted into the
Springville Museum of Art’s 100th Annual Salon.
(The Salon show ended on July 6, 2024)

My miniature ceramics will be featured in a new book,
‘Clayful: the Big World of Tiny Ceramics’, by Sophia Cai.
You can order it at the link.

'Transfer of Humanness', about 12" h x 8" w x 4" d, hand-formed, glazed stoneware

My work is in this new book!





Check out this recent exhibition




I was so proud to have this solo exhibit!


The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of a ceramic artist at The U

This exhibition covers one artist’s journey, showing varied works – in ceramics and in textiles — by U of U ceramics student Andrea Fábrega. After a successful 25 year career as a ceramic artist working in miniature, she burned out. Seeking new inspiration and rejuvenation as an artist, she drove a family move to Salt Lake City in 2017 after 26 years in the Bay Area. Her ongoing artistic and creative journey is back on track thanks to the Ceramics program at The U.

A Tiny Sample of My Wheel-Thrown Work

Large-Scale Teapots

I've long made teapots in miniature, but these are some of
my first 'normal' scale teapots. I made them at The U of Utah in the Spring 2023 semester.

See a short video from July 2007 about my work, 
shown on NBC 11 TV (San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland)


I create wheel-thrown and hand-formed one-of-a-kind functional miniature porcelain vessels
under 1-1/2 inches high, finished with a myriad of decorating techniques and firing procedures.

I started making miniature pots in an attempt to recapture the sense of play I felt my adult life was lacking. Very soon into this journey, however, I was overcome by the amazing and unlimited potential of porcelain. Pushing the material to perform on a micro scale fascinates me. My goal is to distill the elements of a functioning vessel into a tiny space. I want to draw the viewer in and offer an intense and personal experience; focusing on a such a tiny object can block out for a few moments the larger world, and hopefully evoke ceramics traditions of times past as well as the sense of whimsy which is the reason I was drawn to miniature pots in the first place.

After many years in Menlo Park, CA, my husband, our son, and I moved in July 2017 to Salt Lake City, UT,
where after a break of seven years I'm once again making ceramics - in large scale. 

Education, Afilliations,
Awards, and Museums

Education
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT: classes in Ceramics Department, Aug 2018 to present
Cañada College, Redwood City, CA: classes in interior design, Aug 2015 - May 2017
Cañada College, Redwood City, CA: certificates in Fashion Design and Custom Dressmaking, May 2012
San Jose State University, San Jose, CA: independent study in the ceramic department, 1991-1993
San Francisco State University, SF, CA: glaze chemistry, Fall 1991
Radcliffe Pottery Studio, Cambridge, MA: seminars in glaze chemistry and mold-making, 1990
MIT Student Art Association, Cambridge, MA: beginning & intermediate pottery wheel, 1989
DeCordova Museum School, Lincoln, MA: jewelry & silversmithing, 1989
Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA: B.S., economics, 1984 

Affiliations
Association of California Ceramic Artists: Exhibiting Member, since 1992
International Guild for Miniature Artisans: member since 1991; awarded Fellow status in 1994

Awards 
California State Fair Award of Excellence, 1992
Honorable Mention, "Ceramics in Northern California", The Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA, June-Aug 1996

Museums
On permanent exhibition at The Southwest Museum of Miniature Arts, Dallas, TX, since 1994
On permanent exhibition at The National Toy & Miniature Museum, Kansas City, MO, since 1992





Some Publications About My Work

"The Whole World in Her Hands", Palo Alto Weekly, July 6, 2007: Cover story, by Elizabeth Obreza

"Meet Andrea Fabrega, Master of Miniatures", San Jose Mercury News, Jun 29, 2007: Cover story in Lifestyle section, by Holly Hayes

"Honey, I Shrunk the Pots", San Francisco Examiner, July 11, 1997: Cover story in the Peninsula section, by Debby Morse

"Miniature Porcelain", Ceramics Monthly, May, 1994, p.34; 7-page story with cover photograph about my work including inspiration, techniques, glaze formulae, and business practices (reproduced above)

"Tiny Treasures", San Mateo County Times and Oakland Tribune, July 20, 1996: Cover story in Weekend section,  by Jolene Thym

"Petite Porcelain Pots", Palo Alto Weekly Weekend Edition, July 14, 1995, p.10: Full-page story, by Monica Hayde

"Fabulous Fabrega", Dolls House World, April, 1996, p.16: Story with color photos, by Lynn Medhurst

"Big Pots, Little Pots", Miniature Collector, Summer 1993, p.22: Article with black & white and color photos

Peter Lane, Contemporary Porcelain: Materials, Techniques and Expressions, Chilton Book Company, Radnor, PA, 1995: My work is pictured.

Angela Fina, The Best of Pottery, The Best of Pottery 2, Quarry Books, Rockport, MA, 1996, 1998: My work is pictured

"Porcelaine En Miniature par Andrea Fabrega", Le Magazine De La Maison De Poupee, Winter 1994-1995, p.23: An article with black & white and color photographs of my pots and techniques

"The Perfect Pots of Andrea Fabrega", International Dolls House News, Spring 1995, p.11: Article with color photos 

Juried Exhibitions and Galleries

100th Annual Spring Salon, a juried exhibition at the Springville Museum of Art, Springville, UT: Apr 27 - Jul 06, 2024

"Bits and pieces: contemporary art on a small scale", at the Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA: Sep 30 - Dec 17, 2023

"In the Palm of Your Hand: a group exhibition of itty-bitty works of art", at the Women's Studio Workshop, Rosendale, NY: Jul 10 - Sep 02, 2023

"Andrea Fabrega: An artist's journey, back on course at The U", an exhibition at the University of Utah's J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, UT: Jan 09 - Mar 31, 2023

98th Annual Spring Salon, a juried exhibition at the Springville Museum of Art, Springville, UT: Apr 27 - Jul 02, 2022
 
"Big and Little: Artistry in Miniature", Toy and Miniature Museum of Kansas City: Jan - May 2001

"Ceramics Monthly International Competition" during annual conference of NCECA
(National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts), Columbus, OH:  Mar, 1999

1999 Ceramic Competition, Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts, Florence, AL: Feb – Apr 1999

"People Play: the Art of the Toy", Spruill Center for the Arts, Atlanta, GA: Jun – Aug 1998

"California Clay Competition", one of 31 works at The Artery, Davis, CA: Apr – May 1998

"Long Beach Arts 93rd National Open", Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA: Feb – Mar 1998

"Tureen du Jour", one of 18 invited to exhibit at the opening of the Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN: Sep – Nov 1997

"A Close Look at Miniatures" (Zoom sur les miniatures), Musee de la Civilisation, Quebec, Canada: May 1997 - Apr 1998

"Clay and Glass: Association of California Ceramic Artists", Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA: Mar - Apr 1997

"Treasures: A holiday show of 30 artists who work small", Kohler Art Center, Sheboygan, WI: Nov 1996 - Jan 1997

"Intimate Objects: Contemporary Miniatures", The Stones Gallery, San Francisco, CA: Apr 1996

"Celestial Seasonings: A Loose Interpretation", a group show of contemporary ceramic teapots loosely inspired by Celestial Seasonings Teas, Celestial Seasonings Gallery, Boulder, CO: Apr 1996

"Hot Tea ‘95: An Exhibition of Teapots by Contemporary Artists", del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA: Apr 1995

Solo exhibition of Miniature Vessels, Gallery Mido, Clearwater, FL: Jan 1995 and Jan 1996

Contemporary California Ceramics '93, University of Utah Alvin Gittins Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT: Sep - Oct 1993

Some of My Hand-Formed
Ceramic Miniature Furniture

Part of my display at the
2008 Association of Clay & Glass Artists of California Show and Sale

Shows

For many years I exhibited and sold my work at wonderful shows around the US and Europe, focused on ceramics, miniatures, or art in general, including:

Palto Alto Clay & Glass Festival, Palo Alto, CA
American Craft Council (ACC) Show, Baltimore, MD and San Francisco, CA
Sausalito Art Festival, Sausalito, CA
International Guild of Miniature Artisans (IGMA) Guild Show, New York, NY
Philadelphia Miniaturia, Philadelphia, PA
Tom Bishop's Chicago International, Chicago, IL
Top Artisans Miniature Show (TAMS), Santa Clara and Anaheim, CA
London Dollhouse Festival, London, UK

I haven't sold at shows for several years, but will update my site if I do again.
You can see below more of my pots, which I've sold at past shows.

Some New Large-Scale Work
(2019 - present)

I love being in the ceramics program at The University of Utah.
I'm experimenting and developing a new language to express myself, making a wide variety of large-scale works.

9-1/4" high, wheel-thrown, wax brushwork design, then woo blue dip; fired to 2300 F

Close-up; design is hand-drawn,
then I used wax resist

Hand-built white stoneware cloud platter,
13" long

Wax brushwork on both sides; applied foot;
fired to 2300 F

Wheel-thrown cylinder flattened into oval form; 13" high

Wax brushwork on both sides; clear glaze interior, studio shino dip; fired to 2300 F

Wheel-thrown form altered and shaped
into an 8-lobed gourd form, 14" high

Ohata Khaki glaze dip, then
yellow mat glaze dip; fired to 2300 F

Head and neck formed
from mold of my original

9-3/4" high, white glaze,
fired to 2300 F

Decals applied in the style of
Giuseppe Archimboldo

I did low fire for the decals, I applied a gold luster nose, and low-fired again

This is my biggest ceramic piece so far:
38-1/2" H x 33" W x 13" D

I built it by hand from rolled slabs;
it weighs over 50 pounds

I formed and fired the neck and head
separately

I was inspired by Brancusi and others,
using a bronze glaze fired to 2300 F

Now, back to more of
my work in miniatures, below.

Teapots

On each of my teapots, the lid comes off and the spout pours. Most have a strainer inside. They're functional, after all!

Heads and Figures

Each of these miniature heads, ladies, and ladies holding pots starts as a wheel-thrown pot.

Furniture

Usually made of stoneware instead of porcelain, I form these by hand instead of throwing on the wheel.

Nature

Inspired by nature, I've had lots of fun making 'animal pots' and floral forms in miniature.

Pots and Pots, Glazes Galore

Working in miniature, it's easy to experiment with many glazes. As well as making my own, generous fellow potters often give me a cup of their glaze. That's enough for many of my creations!

Salt Lake City, UT

Contacts

andrea dot fabrega at gmail

© Copyright 2019 - 2024 by Andrea Fabrega. All Rights Reserved
Photography of miniature works by Scott Carlisle and George Post; photography of new large-scale works by Amelia Walchli