The central focus of the course is to reveal the processes involved in creating ceramic murals on tiles, that is, creating a mosaic from a fragmented composition.
Taught by Fernando Renés. 1–5 and 8–12 June. Registration deadline: 15 May
Subject to the artist’s agreement, the outcome of the workshop may be included in the solo exhibition that Fernando Renés is preparing for La Panera in Lleida in October 2026.
Over the course of the 30-hour workshop, the artist will guide participants through the various stages involved:
- Composition: deciding what we want to depict on the tiles
- Creating the mural design, based on the chosen composition, on the bisque-fired and glazed tiles, using ceramic oxides
- Firing the tiles
- Laying the tiles to construct the mural based on the agreed composition.
This practical workshop focuses on learning how to create a tile mural. The first step will be to bisque-fire the tiles, followed by glazing them before cleaning them to prevent them from sticking to the kiln shelves during firing. Once the tiles are ready, we will work on the motif, design or pattern to be incorporated into the mosaic. During this process, we will explore the various methods for achieving the compositional design (stencils, paper, etc.).
Fernando Renes lleva diez años desarrollando una práctica centrada en las composiciones a partir de azulejos esmaltados. Algo que intensifica especialmente a partir de 2019, cuando la propia gramática o posibilidades compositivas del azulejo lo cautivan y atrapan, a la vez que lo interrogan. Por un lado, esa parte vernacular a la par que cuántica-pixelada está llena de posibilidades, y por otro lado, aunque complementario, la fisicidad propia del material, cada azulejo de 15 x 15 cm, que una vez esmaltado y cocido por segunda vez alcanza unos 245 gramos de peso; es decir 4 azulejos hacen 1 kilo, y es precisamente esa dimensión matemática la que complementan y amplían las posibilidades de la práctica del artista.
El resultado del taller será susceptible de ser incluido, previo acuerdo con el artista, en la exposición individual que Fernando Renes está preparando para La Panera de Lleida en octubre de 2026.
MATERIALS REQUIRED
Participants must bring their own brushes to the course. All other materials required for the course will be provided by BilbaoArte (bisque-fired tiles, glazes, ceramic oxides, brushes, and mixing bowls).
COURSE DETAILS
Title: Ceramic mural art. Creative workshop on tiles.
By: Fernando Renes
Venue: BilbaoArte (Urazurrutia, 32). Sculpture workshop
Dates: 1–5 and 8–12 June 2026
Timetable: 11:00–14:00 (Monday–Friday). 10 sessions over 2 weeks, each lasting 3 hours (11:00–14:00), totalling 30 hours.
Places: 8 people
Price: €150 (standard rate) – €75 (reduced rate for artists and BilbaoArte users)
Aimed at: Workshop open to all types of participants; no previous experience required.
Registration deadline: until 15 May
How to register: On a first-come, first-served basis via bilbaoarte@bilbao.eus (stating in the subject line: Ceramic Muralism course). To register, you must complete the registration form and attach a letter of motivation
Fernando Renes
Covarrubias, 1970
Fernando Renes is a visual artist. His career began in the 1990s, with drawing and animation as his primary media. When he returned to Spain in 2014, after 17 years living in New York and Rome, he began working with ceramics, giving his pieces a three-dimensional and vernacular form.
He has exhibited at La Casa Encendida (Madrid), DA2 (Salamanca), CAM Raleigh (North Carolina), Mucsarnok Kunsthalle (Budapest), Instituto Cultural Cabañas (Guadalajara, Mexico), Centro de arte Caja de Burgos CAB (Burgos), Fundación Banco Santander (Boadilla del Monte, Madrid), TRANS›area (New York), Fundación BilbaoArte Fundazioa (Bilbao) and MAC Genalguacil (Málaga), amongst others.
His work forms part of the collections of the Botín Foundation (Santander), MUSAC Museum of Contemporary Art of Castile and León (León), Centre d’art La Panera (Lleida), Federico García Lorca Foundation (Granada) and Queens Museum of Art (New York). It also features in publications such as 100 Spanish Artists (EXIT, 2008) and Vitamin D: New Perspectives in Drawing (Phaidon, 2005).
@fernando_renes
