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#158 How To Add Flare To Your Pottery w/ Anne Rumpf
34 Plays3 years ago
What is up Shaping Nation on this episode of Shaping Your Pottery I got to interview Anne Rumpf. Anne makes some really amazing double walled and donut shaped vases. You can learn more about Anne by checking out her instagram @ceramicsbyanne
Top 3 value bombs
- How to make double walled donut shaped vases
- Learning to thing outside of the box
- How to experiment with your pots to grow as potter
and so much more
The Questions we ask will determine how our pottery will look like that's why I created a Free 15 questions to help you discover your voice template go grab it here www.shapingyourpottery.com/questions
Follow me on Instagram @nictorres_pottery
Take this Free Quiz to help you find your pottery voice click here to take the quiz shapingyourpottery.com/quiz
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Transcript
Introduction: Finding Your Pottery Voice
00:00:00
Speaker
real quick before we get started did you know that the questions that we asked are going to determine what our pottery is going to look like and it's going to determine what our voice is going to look like that's why I created 15 questions that you can use right now to start discovering your own unique voice go to shapingyourpottery.com forward slash questions to get this free booklet
00:00:22
Speaker
If you love pottery and want to take your skills to the next level, you're in the right place. Find your own pottery style right here on Shaping Your Pottery with Nick Torres. Let's get started.
Interview with Anna: Unique Vases
00:00:34
Speaker
What is up, Shaping Nation? This is Nick Torres here. On this episode of Shaping and Pottery, I got an interview in a row. Anna makes some really incredible double-walled and donut-shaped vases. In this episode, you will learn how Anna makes her double-walled and donut-shaped vases and how she adds some flair to it. You'll also learn about thinking outside of the box so that you can really push your pottery further. Finally, the last thing you'll learn is
00:01:03
Speaker
Making time to experiment so that you can push your pottery further, so that you can add your own personality into it. Anna, welcome to Shaping Your Pottery and share with me what is something you love besides making pottery? I'm spending time with my family really, but besides the dancing, when I find time and walking and hiking. Awesome, love those things. Tell me the story how you got started with ceramics.
00:01:32
Speaker
Okay, so that goes far back. That was basically when I touched Clay the first time when I was a child. I was maybe 13 or 14 years old back then. And I joined a weekly pottery class for children, which I loved. And that's really how it started. But there was a long break after, you know, after I finished school.
00:01:58
Speaker
and move to Ireland because I'm originally from Germany.
00:02:03
Speaker
I haven't touched clay for a long time, but always thought about it to do it again. So yeah, that's pretty much the story in short. So maybe six, seven years ago, I got a chance again, just about coincident to touch clay again. I had a friend, she was in a pottery club here in Galway.
00:02:29
Speaker
And she asked me, you know, if I like to try it out. And I said, yes, I always thought about it to do it again. And I joined, that was six, seven years ago. And since then, I can't stop. What made you keep pursuing ceramics further?
Anna's Artistic Journey
00:02:45
Speaker
Yeah, what I already said, so I fell in love with clay when I was a child. And yeah, it's just the passion. It's something which, yeah, for me is more, I always loved creating. So the time when I didn't touch clay, I was actually painting a lot. So, but then I started having a family seven years ago and yeah, my, my first child was born and I had actually no time to paint at all, funny enough. But I started going to the, yeah, to the studio.
00:03:15
Speaker
And yeah, just for maybe one or two hours. And then it just increased. So I, you know, I did first once a week and then I continued maybe twice a week. And yeah, now it's almost every day, to be honest. So. That is awesome. I love, I love hearing about like those small progressions to keep on making pottery. Yeah. Yeah.
00:03:40
Speaker
You contribute your growth as an artist to thinking outside the box. What is something you do to help you think outside of the box?
00:03:49
Speaker
Okay. So first it's, I think it's my personality first of all. So I'm always like creating something new all the time. I don't like making the same thing all over again and again. So that's, that's one thing. And outside of the box is because I think it's interesting to try out different techniques because in ceramics there's so many possibilities, what you can do with clay and especially when you just started starting out, it's always a good idea to try.
00:04:18
Speaker
you know, to explore. And what I mean with this is different techniques. And then when you learn, I don't know, different techniques, you may, you know, you may try also think, what can I do with this? Maybe something which you haven't seen from other ceramicists or, you know, in magazines or whatever in
00:04:41
Speaker
Even an Instagram or YouTube, so you you with that with. Different techniques you. Yeah, try try to create something completely different. I don't know how to explain it. For instance, I like to make complex pieces. I think.
00:04:58
Speaker
It comes from this, and I try something where maybe it seems not possible from the start, right? But I just try it out no matter what. So, and that's what I mean with outside of the box. So, it may appear, oh, that's too complicated. It may not work out, but you will actually figure it out when you're trying, you know, to do it.
00:05:23
Speaker
or maybe even learning through the process, you know, that maybe there's another way of doing it. Yeah. Absolutely agree. Shaping Nation, how can you challenge yourself with your pottery so that you're getting more outside of that box and you're really pushing yourself so that you can push your voice even further so that you are able to grow as a potter?
Anna's Style: Decorative Vases and Techniques
00:05:43
Speaker
I love that way of thinking. Let's talk about your pottery. In one sentence, can you tell me what you make?
00:05:50
Speaker
Yeah, so I make unique pieces, decorative pieces, mostly vases, sometimes planters. I think, yeah, I love throwing donut forms. I think that's when everything started really, and double wall pieces, because they're very complex. And I still explore a lot with the double wall pieces, how, you know, there's so many different opportunities with double wall, what you can actually do.
00:06:20
Speaker
And yeah, this is pretty much in one, yeah, there's not one sentence is already more than that. And I love decorating the pieces. So carving and then cutting out, you know, the pieces, especially on the double wall. That's pretty much, I think that's what I like doing and what my style is. Can you tell me the story, how you started making the pottery that you make today?
00:06:43
Speaker
Yeah, so when I started seven years ago, I didn't really had access to a wheel actually. There was a wheel in the studio, but it didn't really work. So I started with hand building stuff, but didn't really go, didn't get too far with it or it was really slow for me.
00:07:00
Speaker
So then in lockdown, I bought my first net when actually everything started for me. So I learned, I taught myself throwing on the wheel because I had no access to classes because everything was shut down. And yeah, I just.
00:07:17
Speaker
learned from YouTube videos and I think then maybe a year or two later I tried the donut shapes and a bit more complex techniques and yeah this is and that's what I'm still continue to do donut raises and the double wall for now but that may change in the future as well so I don't know I see what what happens I'm quite open-minded
00:07:44
Speaker
I love that. I love that way of thinking because it makes it so you're not bored ever really with your potter. Yeah, exactly. You are inspired by nature, Irish culture and landscape. How do these things impact your pottery?
00:07:58
Speaker
Yeah, so I think when you create, you need an inspiration, you know, because, yeah, so you need an inspiration. So for me, nature, because I love nature, that's the place where I'm relaxed. That's where I like to spend my holidays or my free time.
00:08:18
Speaker
and Irish culture pretty much, I moved here because I was quite fascinated about and wanted to live here and just fell in love with Ireland and I think that's why
00:08:35
Speaker
It's one of my main inspirations, so the Irish culture, landscape, and the nature in here. So that's why you see, for instance, what I'm playing around right now is the stone walls. You can see here in the west of Ireland, pretty much everywhere. They were the first thing I noticed coming to Ireland because it's different. It has something romantic to it, even so probably the story behind is a bit sadder. So then also,
00:09:05
Speaker
Yeah, the love of the seaside. I grew up actually near the seaside, the vortex sea. So for me, water, you know, the sea, the ocean always played a big role. So that that's reflected in my art, the waves in particular. Yeah. That's what I can say about. Yeah, sorry.
Creating Unique Designs
00:09:24
Speaker
It's okay. Can you give me a simplified version of how you create your unique designs?
00:09:31
Speaker
Okay, so it's important they're all thrown on the wheel. And then, yeah, I alter them. So some of them are, you know, changed after they've thrown and trimmed. And some of them are carved or, you know, cut out little pieces like for the double ball.
00:09:51
Speaker
And I like also painting a lot with underglaze and that combined with the inlay techniques. Because before I used to paint a lot, so you can also find these aspects in my ceramic work. How has painting really impacted the way you make your pottery today?
00:10:14
Speaker
Yeah, so I was always into realistic art, so I like painting landscapes in particular and very detailed. So you can see that also in some of my mock creations.
00:10:32
Speaker
So I like their carving in wave scenes and puffins and what I said, all my inspiration from nature and Irish culture. And it's very detailed and I like the realistic look. I think you can see that. So the ceramics is like my new canvas in a way.
00:10:57
Speaker
What advice would you give to someone trying to add some more flair into their own pottery?
00:11:03
Speaker
Okay, so I don't know, for me, it's important. You can only, yeah, you will figure it only out if you experiment. Just don't do always the same thing. So just start experimenting. And that means it doesn't have to be a massive big change. It can be also small changes on your already existing designs and try to make it a little bit different and see where it had.
00:11:32
Speaker
Or you can make something from your already existing idea, a new interpretation, a completely different approach. I don't know, for instance, change the form a little bit, but have the same decoration, or use the same form and decorate it differently. And just play around and do something you feel is beautiful, what you like.
00:12:00
Speaker
Absolutely great shaping nation. If you are looking to add some more flair to your pottery, start by making really small changes first so that you can control the outcome better. And those small changes will lead to bigger things eventually. Love that advice.
Finding and Evolving Your Voice
00:12:15
Speaker
Let's talk about discovering your voice. What struggles did you face when it came to discovering your own voice?
00:12:22
Speaker
Yeah, I think what I said before, I found it hard to find designs with the hand building. I kind of felt limited. And so, but that went away once I started throwing on the wheel. I just like more the, I think what it was, it just gave me more possibility. You know, I could, you can create quicker on the wheel. So you make the form quicker than hand build.
00:12:47
Speaker
and it seems to be more neat, more clean. I think that's when my struggle stopped with the wheel. Obviously, I had to learn the technique and how to get better on the wheel, but all my ideas came much quicker or easier once I knew how to throw a piece, basically.
00:13:08
Speaker
Shaping Nation, if you don't really like what you're making right now, try making something else and try doing a different technique because that technique could lead you down a completely different path, a new voice for you. I love that that you said that. Can you describe to me the moment when you knew you found your own voice?
00:13:29
Speaker
Yeah, the moment was, yeah, when I started doing my first donut ways and it succeeded. And then, yeah, and then with the donut ways, because, you know, you're going to learn how to close two walls together. And then with that, I kind of thought, okay, let's just start making it a bit higher up, or let's start making a cup with this kind of technique. And yeah, I think,
00:13:55
Speaker
That's when I found my own voice in ceramics, I think. But I'm sure it's just the beginning or it's one part. I believe that when I continue doing ceramics that it may change based on how I feel or maybe I learn something new. So, yeah, I mean that found my voice.
00:14:22
Speaker
It's just one voice, you know, I think it can change over time to something else, maybe. Definitely. It could definitely change. I definitely agree with that statement 100%. What is something you are doing right now to evolve your voice even further?
00:14:39
Speaker
Yeah, when I said just keep exploring, make new pieces, thinking outside of the box, try maybe to come. What I also like is throwing a separate piece of separate on the wheel and then kind of putting them differently together like Lego, you know, different combinations. Just play around with this idea and just follow my heart. Just do what I like doing, really what I enjoy doing mainly.
00:15:05
Speaker
I love that. So as we're coming to a close here, what advice would you give to someone trying to discover their own voice with their pottery?
Advice for Aspiring Potters
00:15:12
Speaker
So the very first thing is you just should do what you love doing if it's possible, right? I wouldn't do what other people expect from you because everyone has different tastes.
00:15:23
Speaker
Yeah, you should just find your people who like your style, you know, because there's too many, there's so many different styles. First of all, I wouldn't follow any specifically, specifically trends, because especially if you're trying to find your own voice, because I find that can confuse or can confuse you more, particularly if you want to find your own. But I haven't said that you still can find inspirations by other artists.
00:15:51
Speaker
of course, or going to galleries and going to shows or even the other work and Instagram online somewhere. But I would try to find mainly inspiration, not in the ceramic world, I would try to find inspiration, what moves you. So it could be anything, it could be even something political, it could be something, I don't know,
00:16:20
Speaker
Nature is one main inspiration of most people. There's something they're passionate about, which is not ceramics at all, maybe dancing or some music or, you know, there's so much what can inspire us really. And then you can create art from that. Yeah, that's would be my advice. Definitely agree. That was an excellent last piece of advice. Anna, it was really great chatting with you today. Where can my audience go and learn more about you?
00:17:06
Speaker
Have you ever asked yourself the question, how can I find my own style with my pottery? If you have asked this question, you are not alone.
00:17:16
Speaker
That's why I created a free 15 question template to help you discover your own voice with your pottery. All you have to do is go to shapingyourpottery.com forward slash questions to get this free template.