People & History

Our Story:..How everything started. 1998 – on Fuerteventura, at the edge of Corralejo, in a screen print factory, starts the big premiere of “EXTREME ANIMALS“. For the first time Helga Palmers and Helmut Brittig create what is still today “Extreme”: Extreme honest handcraft, extreme good quality and extremely fine products from the “Fuerteventura Factory”, inspired by the idea to create a very extraordinary look: the Goat Skeleton.

Cabracadabra is a joint project of two craftsmen with one painting on silk and the other creating jewellery. Both have joined their experience and passion about their activity in one space and make unique pieces of art – all hand-made. Their production is based on in-house design and they make to order and do repairs.

What is Spiritual Consulting / Astrology?
I show with Lenormand, Tarot, Symbolon or your Horoscope some answers to your questions about Love, Health, Profession or other personal topics. If you want to change your life in a positive way or want to realise your strongest wishes, I can help you with the Power of Thoughts (Law of Attraction).

I drive a lot on Fuerteventura roads, for business and for pleasure, and every time when I enter Jandía and approach those statues of children, looking into the sky, I get a sense of fascination. Their facial expression and body language invite you to hold on, watch them standing there and become aware of feelings of timelessness and introspection. And because these statues generate the same or similar sensations with many people, they truly became emblematic for the South of the island, if not for the entire Fuerteventura.
As I have used my pictures of this creation, realised by Lisbet Fernandez, at many occasions,I decided to visit the creator who has her workshop in Costa Calma and write about her and her work.

With Love for Life.
Health and Wellness Centre.

Martina Mikoleizig-Tatsch, who was active as a business development trainer for many years, had a near-death experience. After this event she received, albeit unwanted in the beginning, the gift of healing – amongst other gifts. Her standard daily life changed into an internationally recognised activity as a medium and a healer. Over the years Martina has followed further education in healing practices and communication as a medium. She regularly holds seminars, courses, presentations and trains healers, numerologists, and family managers.

Klaus Berends is an artist who combines in his work (and even more in his personal attitude) four major elements which allow him to discover the right orientation of creativity: curiosity, observation, experimenting and imagination.

Berends is creative on different media, although he combines some techniques because each of them alone sometimes are coming too short to answer his creative restlessness.

Photographer and philosopher.

Having worked as a bricklayer in Ireland, Brian one day decided to do something different and left his home in 2001 with the naive idea of living the life of a beach bum kite boarding on Fuerteventura. Then a couple of years later with no warning decided to buy a camera and explore photography. Through rabid curiosity and practice, he has managed in only nine years to create some stunning photography, reaching the point where his unique images now bring light into fine homes and businesses in every continent throughout the world.

EXTREME ANIMALS - Our Story: How everything started.


1998 – on Fuerteventura, at the edge of Corralejo, in a screen print factory, starts the big premiere of „EXTREME ANIMALS". For the first time Helga Palmers and Helmut Brittig create what is still today „Extreme": Extreme honest handcraft, extreme good quality and extremely fine products from the „Fuerteventura Factory", inspired by the idea to create a very extraordinary look: the Goat Skeleton.

Klaus Berends – an artist with commitment.

Klaus Berends is an artist who combines in his work (and even more in his personal attitude) four major elements which allow him to discover the right orientation of creativity: curiosity, observation, experimenting and imagination. Berends is creative on different media, although he combines some techniques because each of them alone sometimes are coming too short to answer his creative restlessness.

Murphy B Good - Freedom and Connection by Music...

Murphy's exploration to music starts at the age of 5 with his first guitar. Already at that age he sensed a feeling that he later recognised as truly freedom - of mind and emotions. His curiosity guided him into a journey to develop his own perception and expression of emotions through the music. The ability to listen is crucial to him and his creativity. His music is very recognisable and has much to do with a jazzy chilling out and relaxing with a funky touch. His influences are Miles Davis, Jimmy Hendrix, Prince, Johnny Guitar Watson and many more.

Hiking trough Fuerteventura - by Eva Walder.

Eva Walder from Austria knows Fuerteventura since a long time but was eager to discover the island in a more intensive way, by hiking. She chose to walk for most of the time along the new hiking track, constructed by the local government, named “Camino Natural de Corralejo a Punta de Jandía”, also known under GR 131.

Fine French Pastries: La Folie des Délices in Corralejo.

Philippe Laurent, a certified "Art Chef Pastry" from Annecy, France and Vanessa started their French pastry business on the Corralejo circumvention in March 2010. Since then the business grew steadily, despite the actually unfavourable economic conditions.

Philippe's story, in fact, starts in 1920, the year in which his grandfather Pierre Laurent began his Pastry Shop in Annecy. A couple of years after - in 1924 - he creates "Le Roseaux du Lac Annecy", a pastry based on coffee and chocolate. It soon becomes an international reference for the city of Annecy. Father Bernard continues the tradition with success, together with his brother Jacques.

Bernhard Glauser:  Swiss creativity and know-how in jewellery.

Bernhard studied fine mechanics and goldsmith in Switzerland, his homeland where he also enlarged his knowledge about setting precious stones and engravings. In 1996 he arrived on Fuerteventura, attracted by its surfing possibilities. He stayed and has now a lovely jewellery shop in Lajares.

SEDARTE: Lidia Nuñez - Creations with silk, colours and light.

Lidia was born in Léon and lives on Fuerteventura since 1996. About 17 years ago, she had her first contact with painting silk through Astrid Ethell. Fascinated by the play of colours and textures on silk, she started to investigate and learn on her own about the subject. She also followed intensive courses about the different techniques with Carmen Escolano in Madrid. Lidia gets inspired by the island.

José Losada.

José Losada came on to Fuerteventura in 2008 from mainland Spain. The hairdresser immediately was caught by the dramatic and spectacular scenes that Fuerteventura offered: the west coast, the beaches, sunset, the "malpais" and the abundant volcanoes. He was fascinated by the vast variety of colours of the beaches and started to collect sand. Some sand types are the most white on the entire Canary Islands, some are pitch-black with a blue hue and some even have a golden colour.

Name: Nuria del Pino

Nationality: Spanish

Date of Birth: 8 October

Place of Birth: Madrid

Education: arts

Time on Fuerteventura: since 1975

Nuria Del Pino came to the Canary Islands at the age of six but spent her time in various cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, London and Boston where she completed her studies. From there she developed her love for art in all its forms. She studied cinematography, design, sculpture and photography…although it’s in her painting that she finds her best outlet of expression.

Name: Claudine Macquart
Nationality: French
Date of Birth: 09/10/1948
Place of Birth: Niort (W-France)
Education: medical
Time on Fuerteventura: since 2005

WHO'S WHO: Johan Otterdahl

Name: Johan Otterdahl ( Swingkid )

Nationality: Swedish

Place of Birth: Born in Sweden but my land has no borders

Date of Birth: 1980

Education: qualified dance teacher and certified Whisky specialist

Time on Fuerteventura: since 1999

Johan Otterdahl is a multi-talented musician who loves to play a wide range of styles: Blues, Rock, Folk, Reggae, Punk and Pop. He performed in a variety of concerts and festivals. He recently produced his first album.

The Album "Songs from a Basement"

The songs on the album were written between 2003-2010 and they are a mix of different feelings and different music styles. There is everything from Blues to Reggae. I more or less spent 4 months in a basement and played whatever came up in my head. I recorded over 50 own songs with everything from love songs to children lullabies and rock n roll. Most of it is recorded directly into the microphones and the studio. I want the music to feel alive...

The prolific world of art today clearly demonstrates how we all see the world differently. I've seen the world as civil engineer, building constructor, designer of houses, kitchens, wood sculpture and too much more to mention. Now I choose to express myself with photography with all its diversity. From capturing the image, to the modern dark room, there's plenty of room for individual vision. Which ever medium I've worked in, my passion will remain my major asset. And my dream, it’s simple really, create invoking images; images that break rules and provoke a response from the viewer.

Charly is on the road as a photographer and designer since 35 Years. He started as a photographer for advertisements, then as a journalist and later for architecture – now as multi-media artist. He was hired in 1976 to get the at that time 5-star hotel “Tres Islas” and the surrounding marvellous beaches into the Holiday-Destination-Champions-League*. Since 1981 Charly was a wanted photographer for the powerful surfing and later for the mountain bike industry. He managed to squeeze in his busy agenda side-tracks to Alaska for picturing the dog-sledge racing, to India or to Kenya for the Rallye.

Name: Valeria

Family Name: Bentivogli

Nationality: Italian

Place of Birth: Bologna, Italy

Education: PhD Political Sciences, University of Bologna; auto-didactic in art.

Time on Fuerteventura: since 2006

Name: José

Family Name: Teijo

Nationality: Galicia

Place of birth: Oza – A Coruña

Date of birth: 19/09/1971

Education: Autodidact

Time on Fuerteventura: since 2003

Name: Hannes

Family Name: Heid

Nationality: German

Date of Birth: 25 Jan 1936

Place of Birth: Düren

Education: Academy of Arts in Aachen and Munich

Time on Fuerteventura: 15 years

Name: Birgit

Family name: Gettwart
Nationality: German
Date of Birth: 24/10/1957
Place of Birth: Wiesbaden, Germany
Education: Certified in Graphic Design, Fachhochschule Wiesbaden
Time on Fuerteventura: 10 years

Name: Maria

Family Name: Carracedo

Nationalidad: Spanish

Place of birth: Castilla y León, north of Spain

Education: Artes plasticas in Bilbao and Santander

Time on Fuerteventura: since 2000

Finca Lobo is a place “in the middle of nowhere” but is an oasis of peace and tranquillity. Here, Nathalie Nagy, a certified assistant veterinarian keeps 20-30 dogs to allow them to recuperate from any trauma, physical or mental whilst they are waiting for a new owner, mainly from Germany or Fuerteventura.

Name: Edgardo

Family name: JUNCO

Nationality: Spanish

Date of Birth: 08/1944

Place of Birth: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Education: Escuela de Arte Manuel Belgrano

Time on Fuerteventura: 6 years

Name: Tito
Family Name: Di Pippo
Nationality: Italian
Date of Birth: 10 feb 1957
Place of Birth: Bari
Education: School of Fine Arts
Time on Fuerteventura: 1 year

Name: Nadim
Family name: CALVIN
Nationality: Spanish
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth: Granada, Spain
Education: University of Art, Cuyo, Mendoza
Time on Fuerteventura: 8 years (now back to Argentina)

Speculation about the first population on Fuerteventura.
It is well documented and common knowledge that the Majos (or Maxos) were inhabiting Fuerteventura when the Europeans were setting foot on Fuerteventura, between the 14th and 15th century AD. But there are data – although scarcely – that indicate that the first population of Fuerteventura began a lot earlier, and even potentially by the Phoenicians during their search for purple dye. This article does not claim to be a scientific document about the first settlers on Fuerteventura, but merely an entertaining collage of available data, personal interpretation and some fiction.