In the last monthly newsletter, we presented a new item on the list of activities offered by the college’s activities department, the pottery workshop.  We can now give a brief introduction to the artisan himself.

Artisan is a word that suits Tino well.  He comes from a long line of potters, seven generations in fact, of real tradesmen; among those who gave Vallauris its artistic renown, which drew the attention of Picasso in the days before the mass production of standardized “works of art”.  Tino remains faithful to the creative spirit and his taste for the individual and unique works of an artisan.
For a few years now, Tino has somewhat abandoned his ceramic studio to work at the Collège International as an activities leader, where he is also an artisan in his own right.

Whether it is greeting new students, acting as guide during excursions, or serving clients at the on-campus café, Tino does his best to see that he is giving more than just a simple service.  His smile and his upbeat attitude are his special touches.  One would think that he never learned how to frown.

He also has another attribute which makes him a favorite among the students, both French and foreign; his charm, as well as his stylish look, without being over the top.  He is as well in his jeans as in his classier attire, always exuding a certain sex appeal, without even trying… well, maybe a little.  An artisan yes, but he is certainly no stick in the mud.

Tino juggles his work at the Collège International and his pottery, for which he is “genetically programmed”.  There is no question about him abandoning his passions, as he is certainly one hip cat.  In fact he asked Jun, assistant to Noël, head of our student activities department, to film and edit a publicity clip for his work.  In this clip Tino plays himself, which is completely understandable given his four years of theater courses.  Don’t tell him that it’s just one of his many talents, because he may just spend all night throwing you a piece of art.