In the romantic Navata is the small workshop of Ventura & Hosta Cartons, in which the giants of Navata and many other characters are brought to life. The studied ceramist New Hosta and her husband David Ventura In 1984, he decided to also go a joint path professionally.
The trained jeweler had made figures made of cardboard in Barcelona since 1980 and was so enthusiastic about it that he wanted to continue the craft with his wife. With success, because today many cities in the province of Girona have their own giants And the name of the family business is known. 
But how are they made, the huge and the small figures, the masks and installations? Neus shows us the “negative“ A mask. These are clay pots in the form of a face and a back of the head, which are poured with liquid cardboard. After the mass has dried, it is taken out and finally the two halves of the face are carefully handcrafted with glue and tacker needles connected.
Filigree drawings and a selected color choice then give the characters their very own character and transform them into the so-called “Positiveness“The production of such a face can take over a month, because the adhesive has to dry in the sun, which is why several works are being worked on in parallel.
The probably best-known figures from the workshop of Ventura & Costa Cartons are the giants with a size of more than 3 meters and a weight of stately 40 kg Offer enough space so that you can climb in yourself to bring the giants to life. Many of the surrounding cities have their own giants, who are brought out to festivals and then brought to dance for general enthusiasm. This spectacle is great fun, especially for the children, so Neus tells us. That gave them the idea of making smaller clay giants to play with.
In addition to the figures, there are also other installations to discover, such as “El Tiempo Musical”: There are dancers on a roundabout who, driven by gears, turn to music and look as real as if they were about to jump down and look for new dance partners. There are many clients: theaters often ask whether David and Neus would like to design the scenes, but also well-known people, such as the Brothers Roca, whose restaurant “El Celler de Can Roca” known for its exclusive free style kitchen, can be depicted as figures. Others have portraits made, be it as a gift or as a personal immortalization. Such a portrait costs around €35 and is ready for collection in about 15 days.
But not everything can be acquired: the giants are unique. But there is a large selection of miniatures of these giants that you can take home as a souvenir for around €25. A unique gift for the kids of the family are certainly the horses in various sizes that you can climb into. You have to dig a little deeper into your pocket and invest between 150€ and 350€. Masks can also be purchased, they cost €120 and can serve as a beautiful decoration for at home or guarantee a special appearance at the next carnival. The production of all the miraculous things is in the hands of Neus and David alone. Only with large orders does someone help you. The two have been working together for 34 years now – every work step fits perfectly and the attention to detail can be seen from all their works.
If you would like to take a look at the offer for yourself, just have a look at the workshop in Navata or find out more on the website: www.venturahosta.net About the current range of masks and figures.
