Meet the maker - Isaac Patmore

This week we meet one of our few male Brisstylers - Isaac Patmore. So get your cuppa and a biccy and settle down for a read and who knows perhaps you other creative blokes out there will be inspired to join the ranks.

Were you creative as a child/do you come from a creative family?Looking back I'd say I was creative from the amount of tree houses built rock dams created and adventures had as a child creativity and imagination come hand in hand with living and outdoor physical life. 

How would you describe your work?
My art is strongly based in ceramics. My main focus is tableware. I work quite eclectically within ceramics, I fire in different styles but I am always searching for the same thing the marriage between the form, function and surface. 

How has your work evolved since you started?
It is still evolving. 

How did you start selling online/ Etsy?
I am currently setting up my online shop on my website and hope to get etsy running before the end of the year.

Do you reduce, reuse, recycle as part of your creative process?
I like to collect and use naturally found ceramic materials. Some of my work is fired in a wood burning kiln and we use waste timbers from industry to fire the kiln. 

Describe your studio/workspace?
As I’m writing this my studio is in a state of flux. I moved out of my art space at Maryvale, just last weekend, and have just moved back to Brisbane. I currently just have the basics set up. By the end of this year I hope to have found a commercial space to set up a co-op. Watch this space. 

What is your favourite thing to make?
Mugs How did your business/shop name come about? Isaac Patmore Ceramics. I kept thinking of branding ideas - caveman creations? Martha & Mable? The more I thought about it I couldn't separate, product from self. I have thought a lot about this topic.

Where do you see your creative journey taking you in the next 12 months?
I guess getting a consistent production flow established to maintain a market stall. I have always worked sporadically for exhibitions. So there will be a shift in the way I work. 

What’s your top tip to others wanting to break into the handmade/creative market? 
Keep Making the rest follows. 

Describe your typical creative day?
Somwhere amongst recycle, wedge, throw, turn, decorate, carve, stamp, dry, sponge, bisque, wax, glaze/dip/pour/brush/spray, glaze fire, cool, open, clean up, photograph, sell. 

Favourite quote?
The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination.-Albert Einstein. 

Music or movie while creating (if applicable)?
Always applicable,  something on radio, movie or music. I have only just started throwing pots and having a movie going on the tablet. It changes the forms I make, because my attention is focused on the movie. It also slows down the speed at which I work, the bonus is I stay in the gallery for much longer.

What is your favourite handmade item that you have bought?
Too many to list, I have been collecting handmade mugs for about ten years and I have many favourites in that collection. I feel the cup is like a signature for the potter you can feel someone's personality through the cup. 

Where can we find you online/stockists (links etc)?
isaacpatmore.com
Sturt Gallery-Mittagong.

all images from - isaacpatmore.com