Why did you decide to start ‘er laueyn’ and not create under your own name?
I’ve always thought of this venture bigger than myself.
It never felt right using my name to fully encompass my intended creative output with my ambition always taking me towards ‘what could be’ - the vision carrying me further than solely production of pottery. It felt suiting that ‘er laueyn’ can carry multiple disciplines with abundance of creative freedom without confinements or restrictions names tend to bring to ‘brand identity’.
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What should customers expect of the structure & output of ‘er laueyn’?
It’s ever-adapting — Currently the structure is towards building collections on a certain theme to release on a 3/4 month basis. Carrying out documentation throughout the process.
Overall it’s an androgynous concept that amalgamates elements from independent pottery, gallery aspects, commodity. Predominantly its encompassed as more of a laboratory — a foundation for exploration & experimentation.
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What drew you to ceramics?
Its a shame it took so long for me to discover but clay just made sense instantaneously. I never felt like I found my calling throughout my younger years and soon as I put my hand to clay I just felt that feeling — ‘yep, I’ve found it’
I relish in the vast aspects of the practice and how broad the spectrum of making can be.
The stages of creation it holds with varied outcomes alongside the selection of traditional approaches - from equipment, to firing styles & kilns.
You can’t help but feel humbled & grounded with its roots in human history and I particularly captivated how it crosses levels of ‘functional-everyday’ and the arts.
— where I look to explore the areas in-between.
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Do you have a particular principle you live by?
Colour, Texture, Form — that is everything, and all everything is
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Have you got a particular favourite quote?
“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child”
- Picasso
For me, this reflects a notion that I could choose to make ‘perfect’ and uniform pieces on the wheel yet choose not to. I’ve found that most of my favourite artworks share a correlation that they often evoke the statement - ‘my child could do that’. And although simple in their outcomes, often hold huge complexity or nuance skillset in the making process.
I enjoy that my practice requires extensive experimentation, trial & error, and effort towards a specific but often explorative outcomes. A lot of potters choose one clay, one glaze, & stick to this defining their distinction, style and familiarity to a final result. I look to explore the complete range of the ceramic practice and keep evolving through constant exploration into the vast & overwhelming challenge of these possibilities.
Who knows where I might end up.
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How would you describe your style?
Pushing convention to a primordial abstraction.
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Clearly nature has been a huge influence on your work, which elements of nature do you take from?
I never wanted to imitate nature to the extent of complete replication. I look to almost give a sense that it could blend into the landscape, something that has been formed outside and brought inside - not too dissimilar to the romanticism of bringing a beautiful stone home from the beach or a sculptural piece of wood from a forest.
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With your pieces holding sculptural elements, does this not make it inconvenient in a functionality aspect?
I often see beauty in inconvenience . The same way people choose analogue or outdated hardwares — vinyl records over digital maybe. There’s beauty to the ‘inconvenience’ and some would even say ‘pain is beauty’.
I go by this idea of ‘How far can you push the convention of function & tradition’ and finding a balance between the functionality and sculptural quality. When a piece comes out of the kiln, often times, the intended outcome may see it fall the opposite side of the spectrum where it may become a decorative piece or push towards a more functional category.
I allow the mathematical factors of functionalware guide me to the end goal (which I learnt mostly through attended throwing courses) - volume , smoothness of surface , thickness , height and slope of walls, uniformity on the lip, but just allow the clay to manoeuvre itself to the end form while attaining these these factors. Working with an ‘assertive application’ of an abstract artist may approach a painting. There is consistent consideration to leave the piece as ‘untouched’ as possible - I want the vessel to gain the character of the steps without consciously trying to attain them , to just allow the marks and texture take their place on the piece as it’s being made. Comprising subtleties of not just outcome, but journey and experience from inception to completion.
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Although you handbuild, do you also throw on the wheel?
I am a confident thrower yet opt to handbuild for its level of freedom of form - I flirt with the idea of marrying the two styles where applicable but have an infatuation for rectangle and cornered objects that handbuilding boasts and wheel-thrown is unattainable. The wheel, though a beautiful and therapeutic practice, often confines you purely to circular proportion.
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Do you have a favourite tool?
Although quite rarely used, I’m enamoured by a particular stone with a lovely touch & polished surface. One that I picked up on a beach one day - and used to burnish pots, smoothing out and compressing the clay particles within the surface of the walls.
And although overlooked, a mirror really is one of the most powerful tools in my opinion. Tilted to have constant side profile view of a pot is incredibly significant and allows you to have full range of shape profile while you’re making. I think this really elevated my creating process.
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What have been highlight pieces that you’re particularly drawn to or proud of?
The piece I’m particularly fond of is (and very reluctant to let go..):
There is something about its shape and the way the slip application and firing has adhered and cracked with slight fissures that I think works so beautifully.
I think if I had to choose a pot to stand by, it would have to be:
'soit beeaghey stolley duillag' | f.44
In my eyes it’s my idea of the perfect pot and really encompasses everything I’m about. Shape, size, surface, its imperfections - all of it.
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Can you think of the initial moment the practice captivated you?
There is many but a moment came to mind recently and although not clay, I pull a massive grin at the thought. Remembering being in class throughout high school making the most precise shapes and rolling out perfect coils with small balls of Blu Tac. Blissfully unaware id being doing the same motions 15 years later - I like to think it was something I always felt drawn to doing and has come full circle in some way.
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What have you found so far that’s surprised you?
Just how much of an influence environmental factors of the physical space has such an effect on the piece’s success and overall efficiency that no-two-potters would encounter the same. With studio spaces not really being something you have much control over selecting, it can come down to the weather/climate of the country or place you work from and the season or time of year you’re making. Moving studio is genuinely like starting all over again from scratch.
Its astounding discovering these hidden & unexpected challenges that most people are completely unaware of and how much time/energy it is to navigate, troubleshoot and overcome. To have discovered the struggle with levels of moisture in the air over the colder winter months where I could leave pieces for weeks and months yet the moisture in the pieces meant they didn’t survive firings. Something to acknowledge and work around depending on the particular circumstances and thinking up unique systems and structures to overcome these factors. I think its one of the only creative practices that space can have a serious impact on the produced work.
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Has your background/professions outside your practice influenced your work?
Without a doubt. I have been in working within the fashion industry & styling most of my life and infatuated with texture, silhouette & colour. It ties in with object & shape and with the romantic gesture that a pot resembles us in many ways - even down to terminology - neck, foot, belly.
I currently work in specialty coffee where it has considerably highlighted the importance of the volumetric principles of a piece. With specialty coffee comes such specificity and measurements which need to be wholly adhered to, one being espresso:milk ratio’s. If a pot is narrow, thick, weighted - these are all factor that completely influence the pouring/making process and the drinking experience that are incredibly nuance yet resonate greatly.
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You’re offering to host classes and workshops, what makes your workshop different to other workshops on offer in London?
For me, I have done many classes but I’ve found to be somewhat let down by the whole experience. Im just looking to offer a more niche & specialised experience with what I would want from a class and I believe is somewhat missing in the market. I believe everyone has some idea of intention they want from doing a workshop and I want to explore and offer that in the best way possible, to really tailor to personal preference allowing the person or 2-person have complete control & fulfilment.
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What goals do you have for Er Laueyn?
The dream is to work & coincide with gourmet restaurants & chefs to bring the full experience to fine dining. Pairing the food, layouts & menus with particular ceramics forms & even tying the two together in some way — Concepts such as sourcing clay from where the produce on the plate comes from, communicating a story between the food and the tableware. Concepts that offer a joint dialogue.
Other ideas I’d be delighted to get involved in is clothing design and bespoke projects/installations for houses and gardens - designing with a specific outcome tailored to space.
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