Our Team

Oana – Founder, Creative Designer

Hey!! I moved to Malta 12 years ago from Romania. Now I live on the sister Island of Gozo with my family, Luke, Eli (son), Hutchie (dog) and Jojo (cat). Together we live in the village of Gharb, a 10min drive from my studio in the capital of Victoria. In my free time I enjoy creating more things hehe and climbing, picnics, adventuring around the Island. Gozo is beautiful all year around, so much to see and do.

My specialities are, macramé, mosaic, crochet and weaving. I also like to design some of the furniture in the shop and plant seeds in Luke’s head (he makes the furniture).

My journey with crafts started when I was a kid, watching my Grandma, she did everything herself. Anything she needed or wanted, she made. Back then in Romania many people where almost entirely self-sufficient, something which I still admire till today. I feel like many things have lost their value simply because they have been mass produced and made to last a few years. This thought was what inspired me to open my Studio last year.

Luke - Founder, Craftsmen 

Hey!! I was born in Malta 40 years ago. Spent most of my twenties travelling around Asia. Now I live in Gozo with Oana and our family.

My main profession is a Freediving Instructor, I also teach meditation and of course create goods for OR studio. Mainly wood working and knife making, both of which started as hobbies ever since I can remember. I always relished spending time in our garage playing around with tools until this day. When I work I play appropriate music in the garage and go in a trance, step by step the product gets completed. I also teach Meditation at the studio on Thursdays at 19:00. I learnt meditation during my travels and I can sincerely say that it is the single most valuable thing I have ever practised. This is why I love to teach and share this blessing.

Simon Attard - Ceramist 

Art came late in my life, actually very late. It was November 2019 when I attended my first pottery lesson and from there on it has been one heck of a journey.

Come March 2020 and the Covid lockdown days when art became my only intimate relationship. Experimented with clay, plaster of Paris, water colours and acrylics. After the lockdown I started attending a local ceramic studio : Space for Clay, met other artists and got a big push from George Muscat.

I’m still lost in the vastness of creation. I still make too many mistakes, take long shortcuts and resist letting go of my logic head. However recent results and very positive feed back from my followers and even clients give me a greater determination to continue creating colourful, quirky and whimsy ceramic art. Raku is definitely one of my preferred creative methods. It's fast, unpredictable and exciting. Most of my work is hand built.My encounter with the Potter’s Wheel was short lived. My personal limitations and the inherent circular limitations of the Wheel are enough an excuse to give it a miss. Colours and flowers are very present on most of my pieces and love flirting with black clay.

My journey is still in its early steps but I’m convinced and determined to take it in big strides and much more will be revealed ……….

 

Trevor Diacono - Mixed Media Artist

Trevor Diacono (born 1982) is a young local artist who uses various materials to create works that instigate paradoxical feelings and internal reflections.

Although mostly self taught, Trevor comes from a family of sculptors and painters and was brought up immersed in a lifestyle of creation, mostly influenced by his grandfather Victor Diacono (1915-2009) as well as his uncle Andrew Diacono.