Find what is in your nature and follow it.
These words are the inspiration to my clay journey. From simply sitting with the clay in my hands, unable to make anything for a very long time, to renting a small basement space to selling my work.
I am from Cape Town, South Africa, presently living in Stockholm, Sweden. I discovered clay by chance in 2008.
I joined TAB studios in Cape Town which was run by Karen Scott. Once a week for a year I learned handbuilding techniques like pinching, coiling and the slab method. Karen was a caring, patient and fun teacher and it is because of her and a therapist here in Sweden that I found the courage to get back to ceramics years later in 2019.
I was searching for a way to ground myself and a space where I could feel safe to be myself. The clay and my studio are fulfilling those needs. My studio has become my sacred place, a haven where I can express myself.
My forms are made intuitively as a way for me to make the intangible, tangible. Through this process I’m finding that sometimes the forms and decorative markings can reveal memories both known and unknowm.
My porcelain butterknives, on the other hand, was inspired by the practical need to cover my studio costs. It is also a reflection of my South African and Swedish identity, bringing fun to the practical. I’m always pleasantly surprised by the heartfelt feedback I receive for my butter knives. It’s truly the small things that matter most…
Alicia Samson
