Claudia, the ceramicist
Claudia took her first pottery class on 2 June, 2015. She fell deeply and instantly in love with clay immediately. She was working in the fast paced finance industry in Hong Kong at the time and discovered pottery had the power to melt away stress; the throwing process was her form of meditation.
At the beginning of 2019, she started teaching part time at Two Parts Studio, where she shared her passion and experience with a small, but active pottery community. The most rewarding aspect of teaching, is getting to see how others interact with clay and watching students fall in love with ceramics, just like she did.
Later that year, she moved to Vancouver right before the pandemic struck. This unique situation meant she had time to invest in her other passions and saw her complete a yoga teacher training program. Realising there has never been a better opportunity to become a full time potter, she grabbed the chance with both hands and created her first collection of functional tableware.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Life is all about experiences
Inspiration is everywhere, but it’s the details of mundane, everyday life and conversations with friends and strangers alike that make the biggest impact on Claudia’s work. Combined with her strong sense of intuition, she allows her hands to be guided by the clay and believes that sometimes, you have to go with the flow and have faith.
Clay is a medium with infinite possibilities, each type of clay behaves and reacts differently and as a potter, it excites her to no end to get to know each one more intimately and discover their great potential. Though it can’t speak to you, the way it transforms shape with the ebb and flow of pressure you apply, this is another form of communication that can only be experienced by touch.
When she’s at the wheel, it’s almost as if time stands still. All you can do is focus on one millimetre at a time. Go as slow as you can, forget about how each piece will turn out and just as with life, trust that everything will always be a ‘work in progress’.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\