The Ebb and Flow Family of Ceramics

About Ebb & Flow

A range of stoneware ceramic teacups, plates, nested bowls and small pouring jugs, collectively entitled ‘Ebb and Flow’. A new family by the Makeshift Studio.

I grew up in a coastal town in NSW so the beach environment has always been a source of inspiration to me. I am drawn to the shapes, colours and textures of the shoreline – weathered stone, polished driftwood, striations in the sand – and the shifting interplay of light and water.

Ebb and Flow seeks to evoke that timeless sense of waves washing on a shoreline, forever breaking and receding, and the gradual ever-changing impact this movement has on the landscape.

About the process

The glazes I use in my work interact with elements in the clay to create a unique effect for each piece, highlighting different patterns, shapes and colours that are only revealed after the final firing. The result is arbitrary and yet clearly defined by the interplay of the materials used.

With the shoreline in mind

All the pieces have a very natural look and feel – earthy, textured and decorated with subdued hues of grey, red and brown. The effect is of colour washing over the stoneware, leaving behind random traces and lines like a high tide mark or patterns on a sandy beach.

In one design, for instance, I use this technique to evoke the idea of pebbles on a beach, criss-crossed with striations and dotted with particles.

In terms of design and function, I have been influenced by the Japanese lifestyle crafts movement (seikatsu kogei) which focuses on creating simple forms to be used for everyday living. As a reaction against industrialised processes and mass consumption, the intention is to create beautiful, unique objects which can be used in daily life, thereby finding pleasure in something simple but also practical. I have visited Japan several times and toured numerous potteries in Kyushu from which I continue to draw inspiration in my work.

Functional pieces for the everyday

These are everyday objects designed to be used regularly – for that morning cup of tea, an afternoon treat or a late-night snack – and yet they are more than simply functional, also evoking a sense of connectedness with the daily rhythms of the natural world.

The Ebb and Flow series aims to connect with the local environment and suggest a sense of place that is familiar and yet ageless. Australia is a coastal-dwelling society, by and large, so the experience of living with the ebb and flow of the foreshore is one that is shared by many people. I wanted to create works that are evocative of this experience of the coast and the interaction between earth and water.

Made to be food and dishwasher safe

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