Freda is one of those people that you feel drawn to, a person who's smile can light up a room. Freda is the brains behind Raw Ceramics, a Brisbane based business that specialises in beautiful handmade ceramic homewares and jewellery and it's safe to say her light shines through her products. Trust me, these pieces are as delightful as Freda is. I will never forget Freda speaking at a BrisStyle meet up, her happy-go-lucky nature and can-do attitude was infectious! Her little slogan "I can do that." inspired me and I'm sure many others at that BrisStyle meet up and now I like to think of "I can do that" as being Freda's unofficial catchphrase. I hope you have your cup of tea at the ready, because Freda's journey into creating handmade ceramic pieces is a fun and interesting one...
<3 Amanda
How would you describe your work?
Quirky vintage inspired ceramic giftware which captures the simplicity and beauty in everyday items.
My current collection features hand screen-printed original designs on ceramic pots, bowls and jugs.
Freda, tell us about your background and what path led you to your brand Raw Ceramics?
My love for art started as a young child, growing up in my parents' store in Cairns where they sold artwork by local artists.
From here, I developed a fascination with drawing portraits which eventually led to working with special effects and sculpting.
After a 20 year career as a make-up artist spanning across many fields including photographic shoots, weddings, feature films, and special effects, the switch to ceramic art was a natural progression. Clay has always been in the background and it slowly started taking over my life many years ago.
Once I had a proper studio set up with a kiln there was no stopping me....my passion is clay.
Who or What inspires you?
As a visual person, inspiration comes to me sometimes from the simplest things; from finding an object on the beach to rummaging around in an antique store.
My favourite saying is "when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change".
Talented artisans doing what they love, including the encouraging BrisStyle community continue to inspire me.
Can you describe your studio / work area?
My studio is in an old building with 5 other artists, we each have our own space. All of our kilns have their own special corner.
There are a few different work areas to my studio, one area is designated especially for screen-printing to keep it away from the clay.
The clay work areas where I spend most of my time have the walls decorated with drawings, art, inspirational messages and to do lists.
Music is essential too, and no matter how messy the day gets, I clean up at the end of the day so I have a fresh start the next day.
What is your favourite thing in the shop at the moment?
My favourite thing in the shop changes all the time. At the moment it is the "Dishy Dishes"...the name came to me on a whim.
I just love making them and am teaming them up with handmade soaps for gift sets.
Do you have any other places that people can view/purchase your work?
