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Artist Statement:

I am the potter behind The Pottery Parade. I create all my ceramics by hand from my studio located in Utrecht, The Netherlands. I love colors and patterns. I have a weak spot for pastel shades, I like to sculpt tiny eyes, paint weird freckles, and I challenge myself to try out new fun things all the time. From the biggest vase to the tiniest dish, I put love, thought, and effort in every single piece I create. Unloading my ceramics from the kiln gives me the best feeling ever. I love to see how the different characters turn out after the firings!

I hardly create plans or designs before I start working on a piece. I usually decide on the shape when I am building it, finding what feels good at that moment. This is the case for every part of the process: shaping, sculpting, choosing the colors and painting the patterns. It helps me to stay open minded and try out new things, which I feel is really important in my work.

As each of my items is made entirely by hand, each is unique and has it's own quirky little personality. Handmade ceramics are never perfect. I believe it's an important part of their character. I hope my works make people laugh and daydream. I hope they distract from daily businesses, leave warm feelings and tickle imaginations.

www.thepotteryparade.com

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When did you begin making ceramic work?

I made my first ceramic vessel at a ceramics course at Noot & Swart studio in Utrecht, the Netherlands. I remember falling for the material straight away. At that time I had explored quite a bit of media to create with, and I felt that I was still searching for it. I had never experienced as much creative freedom as I did with clay, and also, I loved that there were so many different parts in the production process. Working with ceramics never gets boring! As soon as I started following that course, I started to visit the studio more and more, until one moment I decided to take things a step further and start The Pottery Parade. I have been running my business for a few years now, from my own studio, and I love every single part of it!

What would you say is the most satisfying part of creative process?

For me, it's when ideas come as I am working on something new. For example, when I sculpted a vase with a specific shape, ideas for colors, patterns, or other additions come to mind as I am watching the vase. I love working on intuition, finding what feels good at that moment. And at times, it can result into new pieces and designs that really end up surprising me (in a good way, most times:). That's the most rewarding part of it all!

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What other ceramic artists living today do you find inspiring?

I adore the work of Sophie Holt (@studiosoph). Her work is super colorful and expressive, and I love how the illustrations on her pieces have this sense of endless creativity that help me push my own boundaries and keep exploring new ideas myself. I also love the work of Miri Orenstein (@miri_orenstein,) who creates gorgeous, large vase characters that are very richly illustrated and organic at the same time. Other artist I love are: Anastassia Zamaraeva (@a_zama_ceramics), Abi Castillo (@lilabi), and Pepa Espinoza (@pepa.espinoza), amongst many others!

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What influenced you to start your own blog, Artistic Moods? What can viewers hope to find there?

I started my blog long before I got involved with ceramics, when I was still looking for my own creative voice. It's where I share the work of all kinds of artists that inspire me. Ceramics, collage, painting, and other media. With the blog, I want to share inspiration. There are so many amazing makers out there!

Do you listen to music and/or podcasts while you make your little creations? If so, what do you listen to?

I love listening to music when I am working, it helps to get my imagination going. I listen to a lot, but some of my favorites are Arcade Fire & Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes. I have also gotten into podcasts about space recently! I have always found the subject fascinating and for some reason it really calms me when my head is full.

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