Créateur du mois #3 // Maker of the Month #3: Anja
Who are the “Makers” at Atelier Make? There are so many of us! From owners/founders Maya + Jaimie, to our dedicated staff, to the helping hands of our invaluable interns, and our oh so inspiring Open Studio members. Each month throughout the year we’ll share the work of one of these many “makers”.
It is always a treat to see someone’s work more and more personal over the years. This is the process we have witnessed with Anja. Each one of Anja’s pieces, wheel thrown and hand painted, seems to have a story to tell….
- How did you come to ceramics?
We did some simple ceramics projects in elementary and high school art classes, but they lived on in the same fond-but-dormant memory sphere as lino prints, papier-mâché, soapstone carving, woodshop clock making, and home ec sewing projects.
Meanwhile, I like being surrounded by old and meaningful objects at home, so I started picking up ceramics from thrift stores and on travels. To keep things looking cohesive, I chose a really constrained palette: white, blue, sometimes black, sometimes green. And that’s a palette I’ve kept when making work now, too.
With a growing love of the object, it was time to try the craft. I took a handbuilding class at Atelier Make at the start of 2020. It was fun. But when I next tried out a wheel throwing class (with Jaimie!), I was immediately hooked. Four years later, the obsession only grows.
- Tell us about your ceramics practice, and what you enjoy making.
I like making things on the wheel because it requires skill and practice. There’s always something new to aim for: to make pieces faster, more evenly, using less clay, or using a new technique.
My favourite pieces to make are tiny plates. About a year ago, I learned how to throw “off the hump” — using just the top of a larger centered lump of clay. What a joy! And perfect for mini plates. It’s fun to let my hands do their thing. The plates always come out 5 to 8 cm in diameter. And they’re the perfect little canvases for painting, which will forever be my first art love.
With hand building, I like to play around making more sculptural, rougher pieces. It feels like a good balance with wheel throwing: practice and play.
- Tell us about your time at Atelier Make - what does your studio time, and ceramics in general, bring to your life?
Sunday mornings at the studio are one of the brightest spots of my week! I love the quiet, focused time. I appreciate everything ceramics has taught me—most importantly how to handle the possibility and the reality of failure. To accept and to move on. To love the process and treat the outcome as a bonus.
- Is there anything else you would like to share?
If people would like to see more work, they can find me here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anjajamstudio/