Hannah Bould Ceramics
Working from the bottom of her garden near Hampstead Heath in London, Hannah Bould creates striking hand-thrown pottery that is rapidly gaining acclaim
“HAVE NOTHING IN YOUR HOUSES that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” So said textile designer William Morris. He would, then, certainly have approved of ceramicist Hannah Bould’s cups, bowls and pots, in which practicality meets modernism in the most pleasingly playful designs.
In the potting shed of her parents’ garden in Archway, north London, Hannah sits beside a clay-splattered wheel, sipping Earl Grey from one of the mugs she made on this very spot. A restorative tea break is an integral part of any crafter’s day, but is essential when it comes to ceramics. “You have to be patient – creating a bowl is a long process. If rushed, things will crack as they dry,” Hannah explains, gesturing toward her kiln – a cylindrical metal box no bigger than a side table. “My old one was smaller. I used it until, during my first big order [from Liberty], it broke. I bought this one as a matter of urgency but now think I should have chosen a bigger size because I can’t fit much in and each item takes 24 hours to fire.”
To the layman, two months to fulfil an order might seem ample time, but on a ceramicist’s schedule this is cutting it pretty fine. With about 400 items to make before her next deadline, Hannah won’t be sleeping much until it’s met, yet she is the picture of calm. “I like the monotony of the process – it’s meditative – and there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a row of perfect bowls,” she muses. “Hours can pass without me realising. After a while, it becomes all about muscle memory. I’m not thinking about what I’m doing, I’m just doing it.”
Clearly this approach is working because Hannah’s long list of suppliers now includes household names such as Liberty, The Conran Shop and, most recently, Toast. It’s an achievement that is made all the more impressive by the fact she is a relative newcomer to the craft. After studying illustration at Camberwell College of Arts, Hannah worked at a print studio. Looking for an outlet for surplus artistic energy, she began attending weekly ceramics classes. Instantly, she was hooked: “I find throwing completely mesmerising. The class would end and I’d be raring to carry on.” So a family friend lent Hannah an old wheel to practise on, which she spent more and
more time at, continually cutting down her hours at work, until she found she had inadvertently become a potter.
In her five years in the business, many things have amazed Hannah, not least that people actually want to buy her work. “I often feel a need to say to customers, ‘Everything is going to be slightly different as it’s all handmade,’ and they say, ‘Yes, that’s what we want.’ It’s always such a pleasant surprise. But people like the idea that an item has a past and wasn’t just mass-produced in a factory – they no longer want to have the same as everyone else.”
No customers are more supportive than the “community of friends” Hannah made at college, who proudly display her early efforts. “They’ll serve me tea from a really chunky cup I made them years ago that I don’t want to look at!” she says, laughing. They also provide her with inspiration. “Most of them are self-employed, so have given me advice and encouragement. Launching seemed a huge leap, but seeing my friends working for themselves spurred me on, which in turn influenced others to have a go. Our group is based on giving each other hope and support.” While her skill has evolved since those early days, the geometric shapes that form Hannah’s decisively simple style remain a constant: these are designs – influenced by modernist architecture, Picasso and Bauhaus – she has been creating since college.
When too many hours at the wheel leave her head spinning, Hannah strolls down the road to the abundantly
“It’s so satisfying to create a perfect row of bowls”
green parkland of Hampstead Heath: “Mine feels as close to the country way of life as you can get in London – I grew up in this house and went to school down the road, so it does feel like a village to me. We’re friends with people who live next door and chat across the wall.” The neighbours must be very curious about the ever-growing array of pots, in various stages of completion, that line every available surface in Hannah’s small garden shed. But, despite her rapidly growing business, she says it will be a while before she is tempted to move to a bigger space, as her current studio has special significance: “Dad originally built it for my mum, who was a printmaker – I used to spend so much time out here with her when I was young.” Now it’s Hannah’s mum’s turn to come and visit her in the shed, often armed with a cup of tea, which is always in high demand when you’re working seven days a week.
“Potters struggle to get out of their studios because there’s always something to do,” Hannah says, cutting chunks of clay for her next batch of bowls. “Mainly it’s because we enjoy what we do so much – it’s a labour of love, but luckily a very rewarding one.” Hannah will no doubt be here until the early hours, but can rest assured to know she has a beautiful vessel from which to sip regular restorative brews.