Montserrat Pascual, for the pleasure of design
By Silvia Álvarez - February 2007
The Massana School for Arts and Crafts gave the Spaniard Montserrat Pascual the bases to create jewelry. Thanks to her interest, her love for originality and her patience she became the designer she is today. For her it is the same to work with stones, plumes, seeds, mammoth ivory and armadillo skin in order to elaborate exclusive accessories, and not one of them is repeated.
To visit Montserrat Pascual in her workshop, located in the town of San Francisco in Nayarit, is a luxury for those who live in the bay. Not every day one has the opportunity to chat with such a strong and determined woman who finds an opportunity to talk a little bit about her life during minutes of work.
 A traveler by nature, Montserrat ran into this work by chance in her native Barcelona, "I decided to try it after seeing the pleasure with which some friends worked on the design of jewelry, in addition I thought that it could help me to practice patience, a virtue a bit difficult for me" she says with a smile while looking at me with her impressive green eyes. She has been living in Mexico for 15 years and for 10 years she has resided in "San Pancho", and although she likes it very much, her traveler’s essence calls her to Spain every year "this refreshes my head a little".
The workshop is a small and illuminated room. Here according to the artist’s personal order there are show cases with some of her finished pieces up to the instruments necessary to create them, including elements such as plumes, stones, sequins, leather, mammoth ivory and photos. It is surprising to observe the amount of instruments necessary to carry out this trade.
In themselves Montserrat’s accessories carry their own identity, evocative of their creator; aesthetic, beautiful, strong but at the same time delicate. They have won a place in one of the most important galleries of downtown Puerto Vallarta. Designs of flowers, ancient icons or abstract figures assembled with metals like silver, gold and platinum form a part of her collection. "At present I am making wedding rings, they are for some very special people who want something which is not conventional. They even asked me to use gold and resin or ivory mammoth that I obtain from Alaska" .
While sandpapering an ivory piece, Montserrat speaks about the lack of an exclusive gallery for contemporary jewelry "most of the local jewelries offer pieces brought from other states, which is not bad, but there simply exists this niche that should be filled".
One of her principles is not to copy anybody and she has accomplished this since she started. Her artistic sensitivity is enough to put together her own sketches that she shared with me in a notebook, an accomplice of writings, photos and clippings that later will turn into beautiful jewelry.
Adorned with jeans, a black blouse and a jeans apron Montserrat moved with freedom while we took the photos for this article, "when I am at home, which as you can see is located above, I leave on the light of my workshop so people can see if I am available to explain them a little about my work", and of course many people like to observe how the accessories they subsequently will show off are made.
 Like any other artist this girl from Barcelona is not only interested in jewelry but has also become involved with painting and sculpture, "I have always thought about mixing these two forms of art" she commented while adding at the same time "I have already had some pieces at the Gallery Omar Alonso, they were big pieces, but right now in this respect I am on stand by".
The jewels of Montserrat Pascual can be found downtown Puerto Vallarta at the Gallery des Artistes in the Leona Vicario street number 248. However we advise you to visit San Pancho and to personally meet this incessant creator.
She also has a permanent exhibition at the Café del Mar, a pleasant restaurant located right next to her workshop.
Open Studio
Calle China # 7
San Francisco Nayarit
Teléfono 01 311 25 841 48
www.montserratpascual.com
mpascual@prodigy.net.mx
Silvia Álvarez
Email: silvialvarezb@yahoo.com.mx
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