Meet the maker: Rebecca Hogg, Studio Peover

Rebecca Hogg is an illustrator and pattern designer working in ceramics, who applies her unique designs to everything from domestic pottery to objets d’art. 

A member of Studio Peover, a contemporary ceramics brand and design studio, Rebecca has a passion for pushing the boundaries within ceramics. She began to explore combining hand-drawn imagery with digital elements whilst studying Surface Pattern Textiles and Ceramic Design at Staffordshire University, before going on to work in the UK ceramics industry. 

Rebecca is the designer behind our limited edition Trellick Tower ceramic plate collection, which celebrates this brutalist icon in her distinctive style, as well as our popular monochromatic Cobaltum tableware range.

We caught up with Rebecca to find out more about her work.

Trellick Tower Limited Edition Plates

We love the energy in the hand drawn elements of your work. Where do you look for inspiration for your designs?

I think you find inspiration by looking for it. Inspiration, for me, can come from anything. It might be a scrap of ancient fabric, photography, an exhibition I have visited, or an interesting archive. More often it comes from printed images; old etchings, engravings, drawings, copper plates and lino cuts.

 

What do you find most exciting about working in ceramics?

​​I love the history surrounding ceramics. I always try to combine old and new craft and industrial ‘technologies’ to challenge perceptions of what is considered to be acceptable in contemporary practice. I love having fun with the processes, exploring new surfaces, and broadening the scope of how to use materials.

Rebecca at work in the studio with fellow Studio Peover co-founders Carl Blücher and David Sanderson.
(
Image courtesy of Kasia Bobula)

 It's really exciting to see Studio Peover pushing the boundaries in traditional ceramics. What is your vision for the brand moving forward?

The abilities and talents of the team are exceptional and quite different, but we all complement each other. Our goal is to continue to challenge and evaluate conventional ‘Industrial’ ceramic practices, develop innovative unique artworks and create products for a discerning consumer and marketplace.

 

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

“Beauty is in the detail”- a phrase often used by my teachers in my formative years at Chesterfield College of Art.  

 

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

Paper, Pencil and my dog, Charlie.

 Studio Peover is based in the cultural home of ceramics in England, The Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent.
(Images courtesy of Kasia Bobula)

What music is playing in the studio when you're creating?

80’s music or a documentary podcast.  


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

A collection I created for Design Week 2014 for Fortnum & Masons. I was commissioned to design a bone china tableware collection with large accented vessels, referencing the Fortnum & Mason building’s iconic interior and architecture. 

I created a collage/pattern structure using detailed digitally developed imagery and motifs, embellished with personal, almost maverick, distinctive details. I loved the finished collection and the client loved it too! 

Rebecca's bone china tableware collection for Fortnum & Mason, 2014. 

 

Studio Peover is based in the traditional potteries of Stoke-on-Trent, England. What is an innovation, change or design which inspired/excited you most recently?

It’s a mindset change! The Studio Peover team is constantly in dialogue with executive personnel at 'The Potteries' in Stoke-on-Trent with whom we are fortunate to be able to work. It’s a real mix of the traditional, old school conventional attitude towards ceramics and our curiosity for exploration and pushing the boundaries. Often we get told “You can’t do that, it won’t work” and we work together to figure out how to make it work and bring the vision to life.

 

Trellick Tower Limited Edition plates

 

We love your limited edition Trellick Tower ceramic plates. Could you tell us more about the process behind making these pieces?

The creation of the Trellick Tower plates came about quite quickly. Formed and decorated one day - dried, glazed and fired the next. They are a representation of my immediate reflective response to the architectural character of the Trellick Tower.

Vigorously rolled soft clay platters became the canvas for instinctive linear marks and drawings, embellished with bold splashes and wipes of ceramic slips and glaze. I believe the strength of character of each of these unique pieces is derived from my immediate impression and response to the structure and details.

What advice would you give any budding designers who are considering taking up a professional creative practice?

I think a maker's individual practice must be developed and refined through sustained repetition and technical practice. This way you can develop intellectual creativity, intuition, reflection and judgement. Trust your unique knowledge to nurture new professional relationships and opportunities with like-minded people but don’t be afraid to work with contradictory creative minds to challenge your thinking.

 The Cobaltum Collection

 

Shop the Studio Peover collection here.