Our Christmas 2023 Gift Commission: EOT Ceramics

Our Christmas 2023 Gift Commission:

EOT Ceramics

OUR CHRISTMAS 2023 GIFT COMMISSION:

EOT Ceramics

Every year, we take time out of our busy day-to-day branding design work to commission bespoke Christmas gifts for our team. As an agency, we love to work with brands both in the UK and internationally, but we also seize the opportunity to celebrate and collaborate with local makers and artists.

Choosing a local artisan maker is always an enjoyable task, and one which sits neatly with our ethos of seeking out individuality, nurturing creativity, and celebrating our inspiring surroundings here in Cornwall.

Ahead of the 2023 festive season, we met with Falmouth-based ceramicist Emily Olivia Tapp of EOT Ceramics, who threw herself (sorry!) into the task of making hand-thrown coffee mugs and a lidded coffee jar for each of the Kingdom and Sparrow team. Working from her light-filled studio at Argal Farm deep in the Cornish countryside, Emily has built a loyal following for her white stoneware ceramics using matte glazes, and follows in a long line of celebrated studio potters based in Cornwall

Emily’s work is sold at Tate St Ives and a handful of independent galleries across the South West. She was recently asked to appear at Toast Festive Market in Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross, amongst a host of talented makers from across the UK. You’ll find her latest winter range available online here. As the commission neared completion, we had the pleasure of visiting Emily in her studio to find out more about her creative journey.

We understand that you studied Fine Art at Falmouth, and originally painting was your medium. How did you end up starting a ceramics business?

I was interested in Land Art and when I was painting my work was often site-specific, in that I was making my own inks and pigments from found materials gathered from the local landscape. It was that fascination with the chemistry of natural raw materials and how they react in different conditions that led me to begin exploring glazes. The idea of a 3D canvas for my work was appealing, and Michel François – who makes incredible porcelain vessels at his studio in Falmouth – kindly offered to give me some throwing lessons. He had a spare wheel, and after a few lessons he explained very patiently that I could spend the next ten years perfecting this skill several hours at a time, or I could lock myself in a room for a few months and emerge a potter. I took the hint and decided to do the latter! I can’t say there wasn’t some frustrating moments along the way, but Michel’s advice was excellent – about eight months later I’d found my rhythm!

So, having learnt to throw, you developed and launched your first range. How did things snowball from there?

I started making small batches using found materials to create the glazes. However, they were a bit too volatile and unpredictable to produce consistent ranges, so I began to source standardized, high quality natural materials for the glazes from UK suppliers.

Perfecting the glazes is like alchemy – you mix and fire, never quite knowing what the outcome will be the first few times. It’s not an exact science and that’s one of the things I love about ceramics. My surroundings here in Cornwall naturally influence the colours and textures of the glazes; it feels like they seep in, adding something intangible but vital to the alchemical process!

Tell us more about the latest range, including those made for the K&S crew.

I launched my new range very recently and the Cornish winter – salt, sea, storms, sand – naturally dominated the colour scheme, with my regular trips to places like Grebe and Church Cove providing inspiration. The six glazes encompass evocative blues, greens, and greys – conjuring stormy seas and misty woodland, along with soft warm whites and mottled neutrals of cold salty water washing over opalescent pebbles. The Kingdom & Sparrow mugs and jars all use the Karn glaze, which is a soft, speckled, mid-grey which breaks to warmer tones around the rim. It’s inspired by the rocky Cornish coastline, organic and variegated in its tone and texture.

It’s been a pleasure to produce these pieces – all of which are marked with a bespoke stamp made by Cut By Beam, another creative, female-led business based here at Argal Farm. I’ll
enjoy thinking of the K&S team getting their coffee fix every day, and the moments of inspiration that will undoubtedly follow!

Find out more about our K&S festive team gifting tradition and our previous commissions.