Gemma Smale

Her work includes ongoing material research, focus on hand sourced materials, with continuous explorations into utilising collected materials to create a deeper connection between consumers and ceramic art through material narratives. Her vessels are reduction fired in various wood kilns across Europe and Japan and aims to capture the fleeting flame across her pieces.

Following in her Grandpa's footsteps, Gemma's love of creativity came early and started her business at university when she ran out of places to keep all her work. Gemma trained with Michel Francois who taught her a lot on the wheel and encouraged her work to grow. She lived in Italy and worked at La Meridiana Ceramics school where she met lots of makers that were making their work entirely without buying from suppliers and seeing the neutral timeless tones that came through with a lot of the collected materials really fascinated and inspired her.

Gemma loves the throwing and firing part of the making process as it’s always surprising and uses fast-fire wood kilns to develop techniques for creating a higher buildup of ash in a shorter amount of time, optimising the firing process for efficiency and sustainability. Sourcing clay from UK suppliers, glazes are mixed with various wood ashes that come from her wood stove and fuel for the kiln is wasted wood that otherwise would be chipped or landfilled.

"My focus is on using fast-fire wood kilns to develop techniques for creating a higher buildup of ash in a shorter amount of time, optimizing the firing process for efficiency and sustainability.Now i source my clay from suppliers as I use a high temperature stoneware for better durability. My glazes (if any are used) are mixed with various wood ashes that come from my wood stove. The fuel for the kiln is wasted wood that otherwise would be chipped or landfilled."

Gemma is working on more current collections that explore soda and salt firing in a fast fire wood kiln in Essex.