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Rachel Carter Ceramics

Rachel Carter Ceramics exists under the treetops of Rachel’s Titirangi Studio, where she creates her signature stoneware: throwing, turning, glazing and firing daily, resulting in functional, considered pieces with well-balanced forms and muted tones.

Rachel has been lending her talent, crafting a limited collection of stoneware vessels especially for us. These hand thrown forms have been carefully created to hold something uniquely different, with a scent so special. As the Waxed Perfume burns down to the base, these unique stoneware vessels then become a beautiful piece of homeware to be enjoyed multiple ways, every day.

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What drew you to becoming a ceramic artist?

I'd always designed and created things as a child. After trying to head down the more traditional route of a degree and a 9-5 job I realised I needed to try and make a career in craft work for me. The tactile nature of clay drew me to ceramics. The process requires a good mix of technical and creative skills so that the feeling you get when you take a beautiful piece from the kiln is pretty special.

We love those ceramics that are long-lasting, often becoming keepsakes that are handed down and shared. Do you have a treasured piece of pottery, your own or by another ceramicist?

I have a few beautiful pieces by Sandy Lockwood. She makes fluid and relaxed thrown work in porcelain and stoneware, fired in a wood kiln to give the pieces a warm and varied finish.

The art of creating ceramics appears so sensitive. How do you feel at the wheel? Do you need to relax before you work, or does your work relax you?

Work relaxes me, absolutely. It's such a nice feeling to get down into the studio each day. Not all aspects of the process are relaxing - glazing, firing and admin can be tedious but the time spent on the wheel throwing and turning makes the "job" parts worthwhile.

We’re always interested in people’s environments. The space in which you create your pieces is naturally important. What inspires you about your studio?

I keep my studio quite clean and organised compared to a lot of pottery studios I've been in, but I find that allows me to focus on what I am making at the time. I also have a separate gallery which helps with the viewing of the work once it's finished. It gives me a bit of time afterwards to work out what works about the piece and what needs refining.

With this unique collaboration, we’re connecting ceramics to scent. Do you have a scent you particularly love?

So many, freesias, old-fashioned roses, daphne, citrus flowers, anything fresh from the garden.