A Day In The Studio - Studio Diary #1

Today, I invite you into my ceramics studio and will try to share with you a typical day in INI CERAMIQUE’s life.

A day starts around 8am, when the sun is already out and lighting the studio. After starting up the fire in the wood-burner when the weather is still chilly, and drinking a warm coffee, I define which items I will make, mostly depending on the orders I received or my actual stock.



The clay first has to be cut and then worked by hand in order to evacuate any potential pocket of air, that could be enclosed within the raw material. It may sound silly, but this step can be extremely physical! Once the clay is ready, the clay is rolled out into a thin slab, which becomes the structural base of the finished product.

Through a pattern cut-out, the slab is then cut into various shapes, depending on the model, and then moved to a wood board where it will need to dry for several hours. This allows me to work on more models while the first ones are drying.





Indeed, ceramics requires time and patience. The handmade process can’t be rushed. It is a slow and detailed addition of steps into the making. In a period where everything goes so fast, the natural characteristics of the clay lead to the acceptation of a slow life (or at least a slower life).



When the slabs are drying, it usually means tea time and a small break for me. So far, I haven’t been able to sell much tableware but I have always been attracted to pottery like teapots, cups, bowls and plates. If everything goes as planned, I will soon be able to offer you a new line of such products, like the ones shown here (which are the latest I made). Tell me what do you think about them! 



The slabs have now dried a little bit and reached the stage of « leather-hard », meaning they are dry enough but still damp enough to be joined to other pieces without distortion. This is probably the trickiest part of the process since it is when the design of the final product takes shape. Specific technics exist but I have to say it really is a matter of repetition and habits. I have to feel the clay and shaped it into the desired form. This is when the handmade element means the most.

Once this step is complete, I join the body of the vase to its foot, on which I gently stamp the INI CERAMIQUE logo.
Once again, time will impose its rules on the process since the vases will not to be left aside for few days. But I will explain this another time…





It is now the end of the afternoon and my little monster, Sanae, a 4 months borzoi, who has been patiently waiting for me, is ready for a stroll in the woods. I am fortunate to live in an old farmer house in the middle of the beautiful nature. Few steps only and we are surrounded by one hundred-year-old trees, birds and much more!




An hour has passed and we are back home. I usually finish my day by planning the next and preparing a nice dinner. And if tomorrow will be another day, as they say, I am looking forward to it…