Seller of the Week: Noriko Nagaoka Ceramics

In this submission of Rooms Solutions’ Seller of the Week, we’re talking to Noriko about her beautiful ceramic tablewares.

Noriko is inspired by nature and that shows in her work which is all about spontaneity of the designs.

You will see that the cups, bowls and plates that are produced have a life of their own – many are speckled or have streaks of disorderly glaze running through them.

First Name: Noriko
Location: North Finchley, London
Store: Handmade ceramic tableware
Buy: Etsy Shop

What made you first get into ceramics and pottery?

When I was living in Japan,

I always wanted to take ceramics throwing courses.

When I found out there are many ceramics courses in London, I straight away signed up for the course at Working Men’s College.

The rest is history.

I fell in love with it straight away and found a creative outlet and thankfully others agree with me as I’ve had the opportunity to start a business selling my pieces!

How would you describe the process for creating your pottery?

It’s like talking with clay.

The shape of each piece is very important to me.

I always think about the end user, what is comfortable to use when you hold the mug or bowl, etc…  I am a very functional person with a love of colors.

What motivates you to keep making your products?

All the ceramic tableware is canvas to me.

I would like to transform from plain bisqueware to finished glazed piece with unique identities.

This authenticity is very important to me.

Each product I make is an individual and each one has its own story to tell but it’s up to the owner to make their own interpretation.

All my works are slightly different, using a layering glaze style and gravity to create one-of-a-kind ceramics.

Do you ever get stuck or blocked creatively? How do you get past this?

All my works are inspired by nature in Japan or Canada, the amazing thing about nature is that it’s endless, there’s always something new to unearth. 

Trees, ocean scenery, mountains, waterfalls, and animals, are all inspirations to me. 

I always experiment with different shapes or sizes, or different colors of glazes and texture.

It’s a totally endless journey of ceramic making and I love it. 

I enjoy walking in parks or woods when I have free time which helps me discover new patterns or techniques.

Sometimes I capture night sky or sunset sky in my memories when I see something beautiful.

What is beautiful pottery to you?

Well balanced Shape, Interesting colour of glaze, the ceramics which is something speaking or shouting to me.

When you hold the piece, it feels right for me.

It is a pure feeling… hard to describe… sometimes weight of piece, feeling of finger tips on the surface of the piece.

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That was a brilliant article!

We love learning about what makes our Seller of the Week tick and how they work the process of creating what they sell.

The key points that you should take away from this are that Noriko started learning her trade as soon as the opportunity presented itself when she arrived in London and also that nature inspires her.

If you’re interested in an activity then grab the bull by the horns and test it out!

There is inspiration all around us, we just need to open our eyes to the possibilities.

If you loved Noriko’s work as much as us, you can find more of her tableware at her Etsy Shop