Maria de Haan, Potter

Period Living's Naomi Jones talks to potter and ceramicist Maria De Haan about her work, her Eastern influences and what inspires her to create.

What urges you to create?
The desire to make the perfect pot: my work is constantly evolving as you can always experiment with new forms, clays and techniques. I am so passionate about what I do; it’s more like a lifestyle than a job.

Did you go to art college after school?
No, I trained to be an English language teacher. But in my mid-20s I took a sabbatical, travelling in East Asia, and returned inspired and ready for a career change. I took up ceramics in 2005 at an evening class; after one session I was hooked, so did an apprenticeship at North Street Potters in south London. I also had some oneon- one training with the potter Simon Leach.

Who else has helped you along the way?
In 2007 and 2008, I visited the tropical island of Bequia in the West Indies to undertake a residency and work alongside Mike Goddard; he had converted an 18th century sugar mill into a pottery. After two winters there, I returned to London and set up my own studio.

ABOVE: Maria's work has been heavily influenced by her travels around Asia, as can be seen in the bowls with chopsticks (left) and teapot (right).

Who is your greatest influence?
My mother: she’s Spanish and had a bit of a bohemian chic thing going on. I enjoy making pieces centred on sharing food and I imagine that’s to do with how she brought us up: we had a very large kitchen table and big family meals were the most important part of the day.

What inspires your designs?
The elegant and minimalist forms from Japan and China, and the decorative aspects from India and the Middle East. I use antique Indian printing blocks to decorate my serving platters; originally used for fabrics, these hand-carved objects, some of which are 100 years old, are very beautiful with highly intricate patterns.

ABOVE: Indian printing blocks create beautiful patterns on Maria's textured platters.

Where is your studio based?
At NW10 Studios in London. There’s a mix of people in the building, from painters and furniture restorers to ceramicists; we all work with our doors open so it’s a very friendly place.

What advice would you give other people?
Take an evening class: it will not only help you switch off from everything else going on, it will change the way you view everyday objects forever.

Maria will be exhibiting at West Dean Gallery in West Sussex until 15 January 2012; visit noaceramics.com for further details and product information.

Read about ceramic artist Katie Schuricht...
Read about ceramic artist Sasha Wardell...

WORDS NAOMI JONES PHOTOGRAPHS MATTHEW BOOTH
Featured in the January 2012 issue of Period Living