A few weeks ago, out in Coromandel, New Zealand, I visited an artist’s open pottery studio with some friends. It’s rare for me to immediately be excited by an artist’s work, but Annie’s had a lightness that was captivating. Pottery is often very heavy and dark, but these were so colorful and airy with nice details---speckles in the clay,  one-of-a-kind colorways, matte glaze outside and glossy glaze within. I bought one just for myself before realizing how perfect they align with everything Stella stands for: hand-crafted, unique, creative items people aren’t going to find anywhere else, and haven’t seen before. In the end Annie lovingly packed twelve of her vases for me to share, and was also kind enough to grant us a small interview about her process, vision, and origins.

Stella: What inspires your work, or guided this particular series of vases?

Annie: My visual cues are broad, a lot of different things interest and excite me, highbrow, lowbrow, I seek to create images and objects which operate on a visceral level and incite joy. I was born in Brazil and therefore vivid colour and is foundational to my practice and visual culture. Then, having grown up in New Zealand, form is also a critical part of my work - integrity in the high quality of materials, process and technique are what the culture from this side of the globe have brought to my work. I strive to cultivate processes rooted in the traditional - primarily analogue and championing laboursome and slower methods within ceramics. At the same time I also contextualise my pieces within a contemporary and modern environment using silhouettes and shapes which speak to contemporary aesthetics and environments.

Stella: Can you describe your studio or what a typical day looks like for you?

I absolutely love love my studio. I purpose-built it 2 years ago and it's a dream come true. It’s nestled on a hill covered in tall grass overlooking the ocean and hills in Mercury Bay in the Coromandel, New Zealand. I live by the ocean, which in the summer means a dip at least once each day – especially amazing after a long hot day’s work throwing clay pots at the wheel. Most days are different, I love this about my work. It’s never dull and there is constant creation and vitality. There are three separate units next to each other: one for clean work (I also paint and print) one for dirty work (ceramics) and one for client visits and showcasing my work to the public. I love welcoming visitors to my space, it’s always such a pleasure sharing what I’m making.

Stella: Are there materials, forms, or ideas you find yourself returning to in your practice?

Great question. Yes, absolutely--the very satisfying and endless form which is the circle, inciting the sensation of joy,  and the infinite iterations you can create with colour combinations.

Stella:  How do you hope people feel when they bring one of your pieces into their home?

I hope for my work to be visually alluring enough to primarily create a moment of lightness, happiness. It’s also very rewarding when people can take enjoyment from knowing they have something completely unique, that was quite humbly made and painted by hand in this tiny patch of land I call home all the way in the South Pacific. The work can be enjoyed because people relate to the references to Brazilian culture via colour, or to New Zealand design culture via the form of their vessels. There are stacks of references in each piece – anyone can take pleasure from these or imbue the works with their own.

Stella: Anything else you'd love people to know about your process or philosophy?

With my ceramics I wish for people to feel the genuine pleasure that was taken with the making of each piece. I find ceramics an endlessly interesting and rewarding medium. It’s so versatile, so ancient, so contemporary. The richness in the physicality of the material – textures, how it occupies space, how the eye rests on it, to me all invite the opportunity to create moments of pleasure and joy.