Meet the maker: K.S. Creative Pottery

Kate in Sicily

(Kate pictured on one of her many inspirational trips to Sicily)

 

In the first of our Meet the Maker series, we're shining a light on Kate Sellers of K.S Creative Pottery and her unique handcrafted ceramic designs, which are now available to buy in our online store.

Combining a love of Sicilian design with expert pottery skills, Kate creates small-batch handmade tableware from her home studio in Kent.

In this collection, exclusively made for Goldfinger, Kate presents a series of minimal hand-thrown forms featuring fluid brush stroke designs that make for a playful mix and match tablescape.

Each piece is one-of-a-kind, tied together in a monochrome colour palette of indigo blues and inky blacks.

We spoke to Kate to find out what inspires her practice and how she infuses each plate, bowl, cup and vase with her signature charm and energy.

(Clockwise: Large Bottle Vase, Small Checked pot, Black Clay Salt Pot, Face Plates)

Could you introduce your practice/ craft/ work...

I make white stoneware pottery, thrown and turned in my studio in Kent. I paint my pieces with cobalt oxide and black stain. Using a brush stroke or fluid painted portrait, my designs are simplistic, but painted to enhance the imperfections of the clay. I like to show the hand of the maker. 

I have also started working in black clay, as I like the contrast to the white stoneware.

If you had to sum up K.S Creative Pottery in one, core purpose, what would it be?

My purpose is to design and create pieces that people want to keep and treasure. Something lasting and considered, not throw away. 

What is your vision for K.S pottery?

My vision is to create a brand of ceramics that is sustainably produced, beautifully made and desirable. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Do what you love. 

What 3 things are always close at hand when you're creating in the studio?

1. Podcasts
2. My favourite sponge
3. My favourite tool: a bamboo kitchen scraper

What's playing in the studio when you're creating?

At the moment Jo Wiley Shiny Happy playlist on BBC Sounds. 

What piece of work are you most proud of and why?

My large bottle vase pair (pictured). These are the biggest things that I have thrown to date.

If you could learn a new craft, what would you choose?

Carpentry...I have always wanted to learn since school.

What innovation, change or design has inspired/excited you most recently?

Rexite’s melamine desk tidy, I love it’s simplicity yet complexity.

Also Barbara Hepworth's innovation in design and vision really inspires me. She was a pioneer and a power house.

But to be honest I am inspired by things all around me, taking walks and Sicily! Sicily and its tradition of pottery has been a great source of inspiration. I have been travelling to Sicily for 20 years and I source vintage pottery there every trip that I make.