so, grab a cuppa, put your feet up and lets meet victoria from little wren pottery ...
Please introduce yourself
I'm Victoria Baker and I run Little Wren Pottery. I like to produce functional decorative pieces which have a rustic style for modern homes. All my pieces are hand thrown on the wheel in stoneware clay.
Who, or what, inspires you?I tend to get inspired by a number of different sources. I love Japanese pottery, in particular Shoji Hamada. There are some incredible videos of him throwing online, I love the attention to detail his work has. I always think in Japanese pottery nature is directly represented in the colours, texture and balance of pieces - something I try and incorporate in my own work.
I get inspired by nature, the birds in my garden the changing of the seasons. I also look at the work of other potters I know personally and those who I've never met.
Do you sell your work? If so, what helped you decide to start selling your work?
I sell my work predominantly online, I started selling solely as an experiment.
I mainly wanted to see if my work was good enough to sell and desirable enough to be loved by someone else. In a way I haven't finished my experiment yet, I'm still trying to become a master at the art of selling online but these things take time!
Where can I buy your work?I have shops on Etsy - www.littlewrenpottery.etsy.com,
Folksy - www.folksy.com/shops/LittleWrenPottery and on
Dawanda - www.en.dawanda.com/shop/littlewrenpottery.
Do you have a website or blog address?
I tend to use my blog to document my process since pottery is quite complex to the uninitiated. I also hope that it gives some sort of insight to my own personality and habits. In addition to my own work I also showcase other artisans who I know or have bought from: www.littlewrenpottery.co.uk
How did you learn your particular craft?My Dad has been a potter for over 20 years and through his experience he has taught me an awful lot of what he knows. I don't think I'd be as good as I am now if it wasn't for him.
I also took a night class when I first started, my Dad was keen that I had another teacher for a different perspective on pottery in particular for the more decorative design aspects. I clocked up a lot of hands on wheel time through doing this and all the pieces I created were the first to appear in my shop!
How long have you been creating?Not very long in pottery terms, I've been throwing for about two years now but I still have a lot to learn to adequately manage a studio. It’s amazing to see the difference between when I first started creating very simple primitive work to what I'm able to do now.
It’s exciting to think about where I might be in another two years in terms of my skill!
Anything exciting planned for 2010/2011 you’d like to share?
This year I'm planning on just doing more of everything! More specifically though I'm going to be releasing a new range of products that I've been developing over the Christmas period.
I'm hoping these new pieces will be really popular with buyers despite being fairly challenging at times to make, but you can never really stand still when it comes to crafting.
What do you do to relax?I spend time with my often neglected boyfriend! I really love to bake, watch old films, grow vegtables and knit. My latest project is an arran sweater for myself, I knit my boyfriend one a couple years ago and I got jealous so I'm finally making one for myself!
How do you keep motivated?
It’s really easy to get discouraged online at all the folks out there who might be selling more than you are, but you kinda have to put that in perspective.
Also whenever I'm having a bad day at the wheel sometimes its best to just step away and resign yourself to coming back and trying again later. There’s just no point in trying to do something when you’re not really in the mindset to do it.
thanks for taking the time to chat victoria, all the best for your new ranges - hope they're really popular :)
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