Uluala

Patterns in the studio.

People ask me sometimes how one creative mind works. Well I can only say how mine operates. I see forms, patterns, lines and composition everywhere and not only in still life.

When I walk around in the city I notice moments when stranger walks over a crosswalk and red car passes at the same time, how at that exact moment one great composition forms between the buildings in the background, flashing red light and stranger passes the red car. On those moments I take imaginary photos in my head, if I don’t have a camera or I’m not fast enough to take that shot. The image stays in my head. Constantly looking another shot, everywhere.

It’s not so much intentional, it’s just how my head works. Always noticing details and patterns that are formed by randomness in daily life.

Here’s an example how I look at my studio.

There’s something about bisque fired pieces… The way they look equally simple, just forms forming landscapes.

Moments before glazing are always so enjoyable. When all the prep work before the glazing, sanding and washing, are long forgotten and all the pieces are waiting quietly. Beauty of simple forms, just before all the glaze madness begins 😀

Addition to high serving platter series. This time in gray stoneware with silky gray glaze. If you scroll through the images you can go back in time how it was made.

Thrown on the wheel, then altered into irregular shape. Put together from two pieces, leg and platter, and then the texture was carved.

When different pieces are combined together the drying process is longer, so it waited almost 3 weeks to go to its first firing. Now ready for serve more than emotions 🩶

So how was it? Blue or green Monday? 😀 I feel like I haven’t had Mondays since February as I haven’t taken weekends off. So this week feels a bit different to start, but in a good way, feels more like fresh and green one.

And I also wanted to say that between plates and mugs I created some new coral vases but this time they are green 💚 on grey stoneware. White on white will definitely stay on the range too, but other soft tones felt like a nice addition to the series.

Time off. My boss told me I should take the weekend off. In this entrepreneurial business I intend to forget how weekends should be spent. So when I finish today I will listen my boss, that is me, and stay off the studio till Monday. So I leave all my tools and vases alone as they do just fine without me too.

Tomorrow my grandma turns 102 years old, so I’ll go and hug her and we can catch up. We talk over the phone from time to time, but as she lives quite far from us, we don’t see her that often as I would like to.

Then maybe a little motorcycle trip too on Sunday. Have not ridden my new bike yet, so this is exciting.

How about you? Do you often forget to rest and take time for yourself?

Have a chill weekend my friends 🔥☀️

Morning light at the studio. Quiet, only sound from the spinning wheel. Making last mugs for restaurant. Biggest order so far. Happy.

Have a great Thursday. Ours here in Estonia should be sunny and warm. Summer vibes.

It’s really happening 🤩 omg. My little creations will fly to Paris to show at exhibition this September 10-13th. I mean like Paris France 😀 Just got an invitation to opening event and… Hard to describe what I feel…

When I started this journey at 2019 and felt that this is truly my medium, that maybe one day this could be my profession? Then at that time I heard a lot of negative from others. That here in our little Estonia, ceramic artist will not survive, it can maybe be a hobby, but not professional career.

But I sticked to my feeling, that this negative thinking is wrong, as ceramics are like an international language. No matter where we are or work, if we do and create something we really deeply love, then world will notice.

So by now trusting my gut feeling has given me my own space that I can really call a proper studio, many job opportunities, great challenges with so much joy and growth (there’s hard parts too, don’t get me wrong, but good and joy beats it anytime) and now participating at the show during Paris design week 🔥🤩 I mean like wow.

Never stop dreaming.
And doing 😄 as you are the only one who makes your dreams come true 😉

As I am working in quantities at the moment I figured it’s a good time to show you…

how one ceramic object evolves from simple lump of clay into a finished bowl. On the second image I marked each step so you can easily compare what happens in different stages with this simple object. How it shrinks as all the moisture leaves the clay and it becomes stoneware.

Used Goerg and Schneider 254 stoneware here, that is most commonly used light stoneware in Estonia.

🥚🐣🐓

Counting the days when I can start my motorcycle season. 😀 I have sold my motorcycles a couple of times now, to buy different equipment for the ceramics endeavors but this year is different…

I got one of my favorite rides as a Christmas present (not the one on the photo, that on is a rare specimen at ) So my plan is to find a way how to transport ceramics etc by motorcycle.

I have been off from riding for too long now, as all my time has gone towards building my pottery business and that means driving endlessly by car, carrying materials, equipment, parcels, construction stuff…

Let’s do this pots, you can do it. We will find a way how to get me back riding as it is like therapy in fresh air. I intend to ride more in the nature than on the main roads, so can’t wait to get back into saddle.

No you know my other hobby too. Well pottery isn’t by far my hobby anymore 🤣 but loving it anyway.
All my doings with motorcycles you will find on my other account