Potters with a Twist
What diverse experiences bring to the pottery process
Clay is a material used and loved by many famous artists. Yet it’s often not the craft for which they are best recognised. Picasso, for example, is known for working with clay, yet is largely famed for his paintings.
It makes us question: what is it about pottery that connects so valuably to different interests that enrich our clay pursuits?
Engaging authentically with multifaceted activities
Pottery inspiration can be found in all types of complementary practices. At Sunken Studio, our makers bring their multidisciplinary interests and inspirations outside clay to their makes and their motivations behind them. Some of our newer members at the earlier stages of discovery were keen to share with us what has sparked their ideas. That may be through external or existing interests, or from connections they’ve forged with clay since they joined us at the studio.
For some, that may begin in other art forms, like it did for Picasso. Member Sarah Holmes loves painting and uses clay as a canvas before glazing her pots. For Sarah, making is not restricted to one medium or method. Instead, her complementary techniques and forms of expression result in something even more meaningful for her.
Integrating experiences into tangible art forms
Of course, art isn’t something you must have experienced by doing it. In fact, past experience is irrelevant when you join us at Sunken Studio. Everyone has value to bring if they have a willingness to explore connections.
A wonderful example of serendipitous influence and expression is music. Sunken Studio member Johanna Hentschel doesn’t pursue music as a craft herself, but finds it “something that is a big part of my day to day life…the art from that grips me and makes me ‘feel’ the most. I like to express those feelings in clay.” Johanna is currently working on a sculptural piece inspired by a song she loves.
Our director, Rebecca Catterall, feels a spatial connection to music. She listens “to tune in, rather than out” to that “place between something concrete and fleeting”. From that, Rebecca knows something unexpected and vibrant may emerge from her curiosity.
Encouraging pragmatic thinking for artistic growth
The (perhaps unconscious) problem-solving mindset of a potter takes the material we use in other pursuits and adapts the methods to clay. For Melanie Persson, that’s apparent in her baking. She applies similar techniques used at her turntable and finds the feel of working dough akin to that of using clay at the potter’s wheel. Like baking, the tactile nature of clay is indeed quite grounding. It’s a fulfilling, therapeutic hands-on activity to express yourself, away from the digital world.
Of course, connections between pottery, the arts and the surroundings that influence us don’t have to be linear. Our maker Susan Forde took inspiration for naming her pottery from the seals she saw in the water while surfing. She drew a similarity between the focus she experiences both from making and observing the animals. This now influences her ceramic creations.
Welcoming all pursuits in a third place for clay
The inclusivity of the space at Sunken Studio means we embrace people with different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. The result is an accessible and innovative approach to pottery, its representation and the meanings it holds for us as individuals – and a collective.
Clay is versatile and accessible, becoming the tool for your self-expression. Sunken Studio is a welcoming third place and an informal introduction to creativity. It enhances your awareness of place and self, away from the structure and rules of many traditional art forms.
We provide the basic equipment you need to begin, the shared facilities to nourish social encounters, and the stories of other makers’ complementary activities. These narratives and experiences broaden their horizons, bringing richness and diversity to their pottery practices.
If you’re a Sunken Studio member, we’d love you to share the disciplines outside pottery that enhance your making. If you’re not part of the Facebook group, please ask Rebecca how to get involved – we’d love to have you there.