You have been working in ceramic for over twenty years.  What has been one or two large changes you have seen?

The biggest change since I started making and selling my ceramics has been the opportunity that platforms like Instagram bring.

It enables artists and makers to present their work to a wider audience and therefore opens up opportunities which just weren’t accessible 20/ 25 years ago.

Another change is that there is a renewed interest and appreciation for all things handmade, slow made. In this world where time seems to go faster and faster and most of us seem to have less of it, we do recognise the value of objects that exude the opposite.

                                                                                                                                                                   Credits, Photography by Susan Wright

How does having your own studio effect your style?

Working from my own studio/home enables me to weave work and everyday life together. I might open the bungs of my kiln to let it cool down and uncover pieces I’m working on to let them harden a bit more, have breakfast, spend a few more hours in the studio, go for a swim or walk, add a few more coils…It allows me to work slowly on often quite large pieces that need time to rest in between each coil to not collapse.

Credits, Photography by Susan Wright

How does the environment influence your current work?

I live close to the ocean and a National Park and love collecting little treasures I find on my walks along the shore or the bush.

I’ve been especially attracted to weathered and eroded surfaces lately. Rocks, shells, driftwood …

Credits, Photography by Susan Wright

You comment, ‘…pieces ‘grow’ slowly over a period of up to one week.’ Discuss.?

Since my pieces are made from coils rather than on the wheel, they start with a base and are built up coil by coil. I often think of that rhythm as being similar to growth rings of a tree or the layers of sediment in a rock. Also, I try to let my pots develop a life of their own and to not force a shape but see what happens rather than work too much towards a preconceived idea.

                                                                                                                                                             Credits, Photography by Susan Wright

Can you discuss, balance in some of your work?

Balance is an important element in my work. I am drawn to small bases which brings me back to the idea of something big ‘growing’ from a small beginning. So there needs to be physical balance for stableness and visual balance as well.

Credits, Photography by Susan Wright

Take one of your largest ceramics and discuss its development in comparison to a smaller piece.

I am limited by my kiln to 60x60x60cm, so that’s how big my largest pieces can be, which is just as well as they get pretty heavy to lift around while I’m working on them.

Credits, Photography by Susan Wright

It is quite a slow process and I usually only add one large coil a day which I pinch out as thinly as possible, which means that the walls of my pots are relatively thin and need to harded before the next coil can be added next coil can be added.

Credits, Photography by Susan Wright

Where I don’t leave the pinch marks as visual effect I often work with a wooden paddle to thin and shape the pot.

In comparison smaller pieces I often work on in groups- still, I rarely finish a piece in one sitting.

Credits, Photography by Susan Wright

Comment on your pieces you build together, and how they become sculptural pieces?

My abstract sculpture pairs and totems are inspired by patterns in the sand – marks left by the retreating tide and other transient forms like foam floating on water.

Comment on colour in your work and how it is achieved?

I use oxides like iron, manganese and copper, sometimes mixed with slip ( runny clay), sometimes on their own. I also make terra sigillata, which is made from the finest clay particles and was used extensively in ancient and primitive ceramics. I also use some bought glazes, but sparingly.

Credits, Photography by Susan Wright

Most of the clays I use are quite heavily ‘grogged’, which means they have aggregate added to them which results in a more textured look.

I like a ‘raw’, unglazed looking finish but ensure that pieces are still watertight where it’s practical.

Take ‘Keiko’and discuss this piece.

I am very drawn to the Japanese concept of Wabi Sabi – ‘an awareness of the transient nature of earthly things and a corresponding pleasure in the things that bear the mark of this impermanence’ – sometimes also referred to as ‘Perfect Imperfection’.

Credits, Photography by Susan Wright

Keiko is a nod towards this concept and Japanese ceramics

Vases are also in your work, share how you use the combination of vase and plants.

Credits, Photography by Susan Wright

I am a keen gardener and love flowers. My house is filled with pots ( the ones that end up with cracks usually) and plants.

Credits, Photography by Susan Wright

How is your work marked

I use a stamp with my initials

Do you take commissions?

Yes, commissions are quite a big part of my work life. Sometimes they lead to interesting projects that spark off new ideas and at other times they can be tedious, but in the end I’m grateful to be given the opportunity to support myself with what I love doing.

Credits, Photography by Susan Wright

What has been a valuable lesson ceramics has given you beyond art?

Patience and acceptance!

Credits, Photography by Susan Wright

Katarina Wells

https://katarinawellsceramics.com/

Photography: susan@susanwrightphoto.com

Deborah Blakeley, Melbourne, Australia

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, November 2024

Images on these pages are all rights reserved by Katarina Wells