UK Clay Users

Saturday, 31 March 2012

Featured Seller: Cat's Ceramics

How did you come to be a ceramicist?

I came into working with ceramics really by chance when a ceramics hand building course I had been attending came to an end and we were picking up our fired pieces from the tutor. It was a casual course and I hadn't attended all the lessons as I was working full time at one of the random retail jobs that had been my main 'career' up until that point. I had thoroughly enjoyed the course and making with clay had really struck a chord with me and so it seems the tutor saw something in me too as she there and then asked me if I would be her apprentice. Quite unlike the tv show she is now a dear friend of mine and not at all like Sir Alan she would teach me what I needed to know to develop my skills as a ceramicists and I would help her with the making of her sculptural ceramics and learn on the job as it were. That was 4 years ago now and to this day she is the hugest inspiration for me and the biggest help imaginable.

How long did you work as an apprentice for?

We worked together for about 3 years as I was building up a body of work and developing my skills. It was great learning from her like that, having a one on one tuition from someone who is a working accomplished artist who knows the pitfalls and has such helpful insights. Then at the beginning of last year I took the plunge and poured myself full time into Cat's Ceramics.

Has your tutor influenced your own style of work at all?

It's the funniest thing because me and my mentor's styles are so completely different! Her work is all about freeness and expression with bold character rich pieces ( you can see them at www.harestoyou.co.uk/ ) where as I've always been more drawn to intricate detailed work with clean lines and subtle tones and delicate textures. I am a perfectionist at heart yet she has no time for such fiddly-ness!

Have you ever collaborated together and would you like to take part in any other collaborations?

We have never collaborated on a piece together but it would be amazing to see what we would come up with!

Collaborating with other artists would be something I would love to do. Especially artists that work in a different medium to clay. Clay can be mixed really well with other materials and that was my inspiration for incorporating glass, plants and most recently sand and found objects into some of my pieces. There's this fascination for me with clay- it has so many applications and uses and possibilities that the objects with which can be created from it are so truly endless and completely boundless.

Is there any type of artist or medium in particular you'd like to work with?

It would be hard to choose just one other medium that I'd like to merge with clay but if I had to pick one type of artist to collaborate with a textile artist or fashion designer would be so much fun! I took a course for fashion design a while ago and initially that's what I wanted to do but then thought better of it....(I wasn't very good) yet textiles have always remained a love of mine.

Textiles and clay seem so at each ends of the scale, textiles and fabric so soft and vulnerable to flame and clay strong and solid, completely dependant on fire for it's strength. To play around and see what could be created with these two apparently opposing materials would be very intriguing.

I have these awful images of dresses with clay spikes and dangly bits off the hem or a teapot with a little jacket on, terrible stuff. I would hope for something more harmonious where the two mediums could really marry and complement each other. If that is at all possible...

I noticed that the work you do is mainly themed around nature. Why is this?

My current work is themed heavily around nature being luckily enough to be surrounded by natural beauty every day I work. Being immersed in the trees and hearing the birds is where I feel most comfortable and I hope to pass that sense of peace and harmony into my work for the viewer to enjoy too.

The natural world is one of my biggest inspirations but my influences are so varied if often feels like the pieces just pour out of me with little regard for any concious thought or real direction I have in mind. When I stop thinking about what I am making is when the best pieces seem to form.

You mentioned you had a love for textiles. Have you dabbled in any other art forms? What made you pursue a career in ceramics?

Growing up I wasn't encouraged to pursue my artistic endeavours as a career, they were always viewed as a thing to keep as a hobby even though being creative was all I knew I wanted to do for a job. For as long as I had a job where I could be creative I would be happy.

But I didn't think of working with clay or any art form for that matter as a sole career until it really presented it's self to me and I gained the encouragement and could see the possibility of me actually being an artist as a real proper job.
I think I had that whole stereotype embedded in me too of the penniless artist, suffering for his art and never really getting anywhere and as poetic as I found that notion it really didn't sit well with me.

But which art form satisfied me took a while for me to discover. And I dabbled in quite a few.

I tried painting and drawing but soon discovered I wasn't really a 2d kind of person then textiles with the aforementioned fashion design. I had a go at sculpture and that was great fun but ultimately when ceramics came along I fell in love. Ceramics just completely made sense to me and the scope it offered in regards to performing a function as well as an art form just grabbed me and I could see myself exploring those possibilities for ever and never getting bored.

Do you have any other interests apart from ceramics?

When I'm not working (which to be fair isn't very often at the moment) I spend time with my lovely fiancé, our three house rabbits, Toulouse, Jimi and Joey and our cats Scat and Marley. I have a lot of art-centric interests but really try to keep a balance and keep a interest in other things. I love music and play guitar. I enjoy gardening and I have a growing collection of exotic orchids which all keeps me busy. I love getting outside and exploring the countryside and just being around nature when ever I can.

You mentioned you enjoy gardening. Is that why you create pieces like plant markers?

A few of my pieces were born from me wanting such a thing that I couldn't find elsewhere. Like my plant markers with the little bees and garden bugs and the others with leaf portraits- they came about when I was sowing seeds as I love to do and using those wooden plant labels you buy at garden centres and before the plants even got outside the labels had rotted and I couldn't read the names I had written! Now a days I use my own markers and they last forever and can be used loads of times. My range of pieces for outside and in the garden has grown more as I have got more into the garden that's for sure!

How do you process your ideas and make them into objects?

When creating my pieces there is a few ways in with which I get from the initial inspiration to a finished created product. Sometimes I have the whole full idea or image in my head of exactly what I want to create, exactly how it will look and feel and then it is just a case of getting that thought out into reality. This is the most pleasing option for me as it seems much less processed and much more organic. Then other times I get just a tiny seed of an idea from a texture I have felt for example or a pattern in a rock. This idea then has to be developed and explored until I can create something that fulfils my intention and works well as a piece of art too.

What techniques and tools do you use to create your work?

I am very much drawn to the old traditional hand building techniques for ceramics and pottery such as coiling, slab work and pinching and these are the techniques in which the majority of my work is constructed. I like that you don't need expensive and fancy equipment and each piece is carefully constructed and built from a labour of love.

Using these techniques things can take a lot longer to produce and some of my pieces take days of work on them, and that's not considering drying or any 'setting up' time. I use very minimal amounts of tools and have about a handful I use regularly. These include some specific pottery tools I have bought and others are everyday household things like a ruler, a wooden spoon and a metal tin. Sounds rather conspicuous and I'd better not say exactly how I use these as these are the secrets of the trade but any kind of object can become a useful tool!

* I noticed most of your pieces are focus on being usable. Is there a reason why you create functional items more than decorative pieces? *

I love being able to make functional items as well as purely decorative ones. The utilitarian nature of ceramics is really charming and has a beauty within itself that is so pleasing. When objects are used in every day to day they become so a part of our lives and shape our surroundings and our homes. It makes me so happy to know that my customer is going to have my pieces in their home and see it everyday and use it and enjoy it.

Do you have any favourite pieces of work?

All my pieces are so fun to make but my favourite is probably the little leaf dishes glazed in the bright blues and reds. Rolling out the clay and gently pressing in the individual leaves and cutting out and shaping, builds up this methodical repetitive process where I can drift away with my thoughts and think of other ideas and pieces. Then when I'm back I have all these lovely little dishes made!

I also love any thing were I use the recycled glass in the decoration because lifting up the kiln after the firing I never know what I'm going to get, sometimes it doesn't really work and sometimes it's just great! Lot's of happy accidents as I like to call them!

Do you have any solid plans for the future?

I don't know what the future might bring but I hope to be exploring still and discovering even more about ceramics as a craft and an art form and having a great time doing it. I hope that Cat's Ceramics will grow and flourish with people enjoying my work and feeling it relevant. I am chuffed and amazed how far I have come this past year and cannot wait to find out what might be waiting around the corner.....

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Thank you to you Carmen for conducting this interview and for all the hard work you put into running the team!

My explorations in clay, work and life can be followed on www.catsceramics.co.uk

Friday, 30 March 2012

March Featured Items

Studio Capricorn

Stoneware Ceramic Seahorse Brooch - £20.00

This brooch can be purchased here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/93586820/stoneware-ceramic-seahorse-brooch-ooak

Please visit Studio Capricorn's shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/StudioCapricorn

Katie Mac Ceramics

Blue Ceramic Nautical Decoration -$5 (approx £3)

These decorations can be brought here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/91338886/blue-ceramic-nautical-symbol-hanging

Please visit Katie Mac Ceramic's shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/KatieMacCeramics

Tamed Miniatures

Polymer Clay Rabbit Dolls House Miniature - $18 (approx £11)

This rabbit can be purchased here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/95655751/bunny-rabbit-dollhouse-miniature-ooak

Please visit Tamed Miniature's shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TamedMiniatures

Monday, 27 February 2012

Featured Seller: Quernus Crafts

Tell me about you.

I came to sculpting by a rather unconventional route. I always loved making things, whether it was pom-poms or cards or small models, but I was encouraged to do music as a hobby rather than art. And as I trained to be a lawyer, anything creative was only something to do if I ever had any free time (which didn't happen very often).

I ended up working as a lawyer for 15 years, but never felt that it was a good fit. I didn't know what I wanted to do instead, so I trained to be a life coach and went on a leadership course, and I finally took the plunge in June 2009 and left my job.

I treated myself to a 6 month mini-retirement where I could breath and work out what was next. And when I had the time, energy and space, I decided to try my hand at sculpting again - something I hadn't done for about 10 years. And before I knew it, all these wee creatures started pouring out - it was as though they had been waiting for me to catch up with them!

And so Quernus Crafts was born in August 2009, and I have literally made thousands of creatures since then. It's a much happier way to make a living than being a lawyer, although I've never worked so hard in my life.

You mentioned you was encouraged to do music instead of art. Why did you choose to build a career in art rather than music after quitting your profession as a lawyer?

I have played the piano since I was about 6, and then the flute from 12. I also sing, and I was President of the Music Society during the whole time I was at university in Dundee. I love classical music, and Renaissance choral music in particular. But a career in music never seemed much of an option - whilst I enjoyed it, and I was relatively good at it (I was principal flautist of the Dundee Symphony Orchestra for 6 years, gave a number of piano recitals and started up an early music choir), I was never good enough to make a living at it, and it never really occurred to me to pursue it professionally.

But I didn't intend to build a career in art either! When I gave up my job as a lawyer, I was more interested in having fun after many years of not being happy, and I wasn't really thinking about making a career out of it, although almost from the beginning there was interest in what I was doing.

Not long after I left my job, I became involved with UK Handmade, and thought that if I was going to follow a creative career, it would be in an administrative role. I came on board as a volunteer to help them with business development, and was a director for a while. But after about 6 months or so, it dawned on me that there was a pretty big demand for my work as Quernus, and so I decided to focus much more on my own business.

I do still write for UK Handmade, and I've been running a fortnightly series called "The Road Less Travelled" for the past 18 months with artists and makers who have decided to give up their day job to follow their dream. Sound familiar?!

Why did you choose to sculpt living creatures and not something inanimate? Did you sculpt them in your earlier life or did you love for sculpturing creatures come later on?

I've never really thought about why I sculpt creatures - it's just what I do! When I was younger, I used to play with air-drying clay, and I think one of my earliest creations were some seals that I made when I was about 8. Looking back now, I can see that I wanted them to interact with their environment, something I love doing now, particularly in collaborations with other artists.

I dabbled on and off with clay, along with many other crafts, over the years. I didn't make a great many animal sculptures, though, compared to what I make now. About 12 years ago, I made a frieze for my niece, Aileen, and not long after, I also made all the wedding favours for my own wedding (I have since divorced) - I only made 30 of them at the time, but I remember being so fed up with them that I didn't touch clay again until I left law in 2009!

It's so strange that I have now made thousands and never get bored of them. To me, the wee creatures are completely alive, and each one has its own unique personality and charm. They choose me, rather than me choosing them, if that makes sense. Perhaps one day I'll try some other sculpting disciplines, but for now, I am definitely called to make wee creatures!

Why did you choose to become a lawyer after growing up with such a creative background? Also what prompted your decision to quit being a lawyer after 15 years?

How I ended up as a lawyer was really due to teenage rebellion than anything else! I was always pretty bright at school and so was encourage to have a profession, rather than do anything creative.

My dad was a surgeon, my sister is a doctor, but I didn't want to go down the medical route, and since I was good at English and was a fan of LA Law, I thought law would be the way to go! But I knew on the first day of my traineeship that this wasn't the profession for me. However, I thought back then that I couldn't waste the five years I'd spent studying, so I kept going with it, and I made the best job that I could of it.

Over the years, I made a number of attempts to escape, but never quite managed it, and let's face it, the money did make life more bearable. I also enjoyed the intellectual challenge of it, but in the end, I finally faced up to the fact that I really didn't want to be a lawyer, and even though I didn't know what I was going to do next, I handed in my notice and saved up for a six month mini retirement to work out what was next. I have never regretted my decision, and now it feels that being a lawyer happened to someone else!

Was the transition from being a lawyer to an artisan easy? Did the craft community feel familiar since you was interested in craft when you was young or did it feel quite alien?

The transition from lawyer to artisan was remarkably easy, although in the early months after I left my job, I still thought that if I was going to be in creative industry, it would be in a more administrative or managerial role. Not long after I left my job, I began sculpting again, and just had so much fun with it - I loved experimenting with colours, designs and techniques, and I really just pleased myself!

How was Quernus Craft born? Did you have a set plan for Quernus Crafts when you started or did you just decide you'd try to sell something and jump in with both feet?

As for how Quernus began, whenever I start something new, I tend to be very thorough and organised, so from the beginning, I set up Quernus as a proper business (branding, business cards, blog/website, etc), and virtually all of what I put in place in those early days is still in place now. As for the name, 'Quernus' is a play on the Latin word for 'oak' (quercus) because I love oak trees.

After a couple of months, I decided to dip a toe with selling the wee creatures, and so I set up shops on Folksy and Etsy, and started going to craft fairs. I certainly sold a lot at craft fairs, and online sales were beginning to trickle in, but in many respects, Quernus Crafts was still pretty much a hobby for me at that point - I was having fun with it, but I still felt that my main income would come from other sources.

I felt instantly at home with the crafting community, much more so than I ever did with my legal colleagues, or even in the musical world. Something clicked - I felt like I'd come home.

You mentioned you worked for UK Handmade but had to focused more on Quernus Crafts after 6 months. How did your sales improve so quickly?

I joined UK Handmade in February 2010 as a volunteer and threw myself into that wholeheartedly as I very much believed (and still believe) in their ethos of supporting and promoting artists and makers in the UK. I managed to secure funding for business development and worked on a number of new initiatives with the other directors. For six months or so, I was probably devoting at least 20-30 hours a week on UK Handmade work, still as a volunteer, and the rest of the time on Quernus.

Quernus sales were ticking over, and by this time, I was getting a fair number of commission work - commissions have always been a large part of the work I do. After above 6 months, I realised that I had to find a way of making money, and so I decided to focus full-time on Quernus (although I still write for UK Handmade). It was then that sales really started to improve, and I began to make enough money to live on for the first time. I've never really had a plan for Quernus, other than to have fun doing what I love, and sharing that with others. So far, it's worked pretty well!

Your creatures are very stylized. Is this style something that you developed naturally overtime or was you influenced by something?

One thing that has surprised and delighted me is that the wee creatures have a very recognisable style to them that was completely unintended. It doesn't seem to matter what creature it is, you can tell it's a Quernus creature! The wee creatures appear as they want to - it's hard to explain, but I feel that I am giving shape to forms and designs that want to be made, and so sometimes I feel that my input is quite minimal, and I'm just following instructions!

Usually, a fully formed design or idea will pop into my mind from who-knows-where, and for me, that creature is already alive - it's just a question of when I'm going to make it. I don't sketch out designs, or make prototypes - most of my new designs arrive fully formed, although sometimes, like the mice, they will evolve into new designs or styles over time. Other designs, like the Snails, have remained pretty much the same from the first one I made. I'm constantly amazed at how expressive the wee creatures are - I usually have a couple of mice sitting around my work station, and they really look as though they could talk!

As well as my Quernus creatures, I do a lot of realistic pet sculptures as commissions. For these, I am good at translating a 2D image, like a photograph, into 3D - somehow my mind and hands can fill in the blanks and I know how the animal should look in model form. And for all creatures, attention to detail is really important for me - it was always something I was good at as a lawyer, so I'm glad that skill has translated into something so much more fun and useful!

Do you have any favourite pieces or is each one special and unique in it's own way?

It's impossible to choose a favourite wee creature - that would be like choosing a favourite child! Each one is my favourite as they are born.

Do you have any further comments?

I'd like to say a huge thank you to all the people out there who have supported me since I started, and who are as much in love with the wee creatures as I am - it really makes it all worthwhile. The most important thing in this world is not to take life too seriously, and I think the wee creatures help to remind us of that.

http://www.quernuscrafts.co.uk/