Peppermint Creek Collective: Ceramics

Monday, December 8, 2014

Handy Happy Hearts

Lena Kriuchkova, Artist/Crafter

PCC: Tell us a little about yourself.

LK: I'm 35 years old, live in Ukraine and crafts are my full-time job. I can't say when I started, I just kept trying this and that as long as I remember myself. When I was 7 years old I loved making stuffed toys. When I was 11, I learned knitting. When I was 25, I fell in love with ceramics.
When I was 32, I opened my first shop at Etsy. I have a very active toddler son which is lots of fun, troubles and inspiration for me.

Christmas Animals

Christmas Penguins

PCC: What do you create?
LK: I make all kinds of hearts for my shop HandyHappyHearts. Within the brand HandyHappy I divide it into several branches like stuffed toys and artist bears, hearts, paintings, small houses, vintage fabrics. As I love taking photos and I love books, I also tried to run 2 other shops but realized it's too much for me for now. Although I keep planning to make more paintings and finally start making artist dolls one day.

PCC: What made you want to become an artist/fall in love with your craft?

LK: I love rustic style and shabby looks as well as beautiful wedding photo-shoots. It's what brought me to the style I have with the hearts. I plan to keep developing rustic and shabby lines.

Christmas Houses

PCC: Tell us about your process. What materials do you use?

LK: I use salt dough which is very sturdy material and durable and also this is the only one which gives all this whimsical wrinkly look. Recently I started to use MDF for making more light looking hearts. I love MDF for being wood at the same time for keeping woods safe as in fact it's made of wooden destash.

Santa Ornaments

PCC: Tell us what you’re passionate about outside of your art

LK: I'm an Irish dancer and I love travelling and taking photos. That's all what I have times for after my son and shops :-)

PCC: How do we find you?
www.etsy.com/shop/HandyHappyHearts
www.etsy.com/shop/HandyHappyTeddy
www.etsy.com/shop/HandyHappyVintage
www.etsy.com/shop/HandyHappy
www.facebook.com/pages/HandyHappy/1005461522804692

More Christmas Hearts from Handy Happy Hearts that make us swoon:
(check back around Valentines to see more from her)

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Prince Design UK

Elizabeth Prince, Sculptor

PCC: Tell us about yourself and what you create.

EP: My name is Elizabeth Prince, and I am an ex-interior designer who now makes contemporary ceramics. I feel very fortunate to have found a way to make a living from doing something that I love, and I am very thankful for that.

PCC: How did you become an artist?
EP: I have always made things - art, objects, clothing, homewares - anything really. But then I found ceramics. I just loved the feel of clay, and it seemed the perfect material to create all the things I had in my mind that I wanted to make.

PCC: What is your process? What materials do you use?

EP: I use creamy stoneware ceramic clay with some texture, or I use pure white porcelain clay, which I adore! Sometimes I finish them with glaze, and sometimes a paint finish. My processes vary quite a bit, but generally I fire everything to an extremely hot temperature after it is made and dried out. I like to explore textures, and to mix them up with pared down simple shapes.

PCC: What are you passionate about outside of art?
EP: Outside of ceramics, I love growing veggies, music and going out to see live music, going out to eat, making smoothies for breakfast, and of course spending time with my wonderful friends and family :)

PCC:How do we find you?