SIMON GONZALEZ DE CRUZ
Building with clay, code, intuition and curiosity
CERAFICA = Cerámica + Gráfica + Facere + Calculare. Four words, four roots. Clay, the material that started everything. The visual, the marks, the surface. The act of creating with your hands. The analytical mind that can't stop asking what if.
I make one-of-a-kind ceramics — pieces where you look at the surface and five or six different stories emerge. Is that a crater? A tidal pool? A fracture from an ancient impact? My planetary series lives in that space. Every piece is its own world.
Clay teaches emergence and imperfection. Code teaches pattern and possibility. I work at the intersection of both — every piece is an experiment in material science and intuition. I fire in a gas kiln to cone 10, roughly 2,350°F, in a reduction atmosphere. That means starving the kiln of oxygen, which changes how the glazes behave. Iron goes dark and warm. Copper blushes red. The surfaces develop depth you can't predict or replicate.
I make at Clay on First in Long Beach, CA. Every perspective I bring — code, music, visual art — shapes the work in ways I'm still discovering.
What Guides the Work
Cross-domain
Work spans ceramics, code, music, visual arts. Each discipline informs the others.
Process-exposed
The computation is part of the story, not hidden. You'll see the code alongside the clay.
Identity-integrated
Every perspective I bring shapes every piece. The work is personal.
Designed objects
Every piece is a true art object — beautiful, unique, one-of-a-kind. But it's also functional. A mug you hold every morning. A vase on your table. A planter in your window. Art you can live with.
Anti-precious
Made to be used. Imperfection is a feature. Handle your pottery.
Pipeline
CLAY
I always recycle my own clay. Nothing wasted — scraps get reclaimed, rewedged, and reborn. I add my own inclusions to the clay body to create unique effects that you won't find in commercial material. Every batch is slightly different.
FORM
Thrown on the wheel. I don't trim — instead I finish every piece by hand, using intuition and experience to shape the final surface. The form emerges through feel, not a template.
GLAZE
I mix and layer glazes from the studio's collection, combining them in ways that create surfaces nobody expected. Layering, overlapping, testing — every combination is an experiment.
FIRE
Bisque fire at ~1,800°F. Then glaze fire to cone 10 — roughly 2,350°F — in a reduction atmosphere. Starving the kiln of oxygen changes everything: iron goes dark and warm, copper blushes red, surfaces develop depth you can't predict or replicate.
GET IN TOUCH
Frequently Asked
Are your ceramics food safe?
Yes. All pieces are made using the studio's food-safe glaze formulations and fired to proper temperatures.
Do you take commissions?
Not at this time — I'm focused on selling my existing inventory first. Follow @cerafica_design or check the shop page for available pieces.
Where are you located?
Long Beach, CA. Local pickup available, or I ship within the US.
How do I purchase a piece?
Browse available work on the shop page and add to cart. For sold pieces or questions, DM on Instagram or email simon@cerafica.com.
Do you ship?
Yes, I ship within the US. Each piece is carefully wrapped and boxed. Shipping cost is calculated at checkout. Local pickup in Long Beach is also available.