Juan Grasso was born in Uruguay in October of 1977. Yet, he has lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina since age 7. This is where his journey into the world of art and creativity began. He is not professionally trained in any one element of his abilities; rather he is self taught. He began his creative processes by experimenting with ceramic pieces. It seems, as he learned, his strengths began to emerge in the realm of jewelry, creating unique pieces from 50 different Argentinean woods, special metals and semi-precious stones.
It is his attention to detail and the time that he devotes to each piece that makes his artwork so elaborate and beautiful as he prides himself in creating well fashioned, fine quality pieces. He has experimented with many techniques, including working with controlled fire processes to render metals creating interesting finishes as a result. Juan Grasso works with copper, alpaca and brass and exposes these elements to temperatures of 1600 to 1800 degrees, allowing him to work with different fusion and oxidation points which result in fabulous pieces.
Juan Grasso truly enjoys the work he does and sees it as a life’s work. It is a passion in which he can share with those who wear his work as well as with the world. The fact that he is self-taught has allowed him to enjoy his work even more, since not knowing the exact techniques lets him design without any preconceived notions. This allows his imagination to run free and create items with an ethereal beauty.
He has won many prestigious awards for his work over the years, including:
2^nd Place Jewelry – 10^th Salon Nacional de Creatividad y Diseno Artesanal – 2007
1^st Place Jewelry, Creativity & Design – Feria International de Artesanias - 2006
1^stPlace Jewelry – 8^th Salon Nacional de Creatividad y Diseno Artesanal - 2005
Honorable Mention - Feria Internacional de Artesanias, Cordoba - 2003