we make pots and bowls – deVOL ceramics
19th November 2015
These images are from a photo shoot we did yesterday to introduce you to the new ceramic range we have launched here at deVOL. It’s small at the moment, yesterday we only had a few bowls and cups but there are more waiting to be fired and glazed. We have a beautiful studio in the grounds of Cotes Mill, it used to be a little garage I think, after some restoration it is now a space that is full of the most beautiful light. The old kilns, cupboards full of ceramic accoutrements, a wheel and bags and bags of different clays, it is a calm and lovely place to be. Edward, our very own ceramicist is working full time on the art of making belfast sinks, it’s a long and time-consuming process but having our own deVOL sinks will be such a great achievement it’s definitely worth the challenge. While Edward is busy rolling and joining huge slabs of clay he sometimes takes a break and throws a few pots, well they have turned out to be things of beauty.
These simple glazed bowls and pots are so tactile, the smooth white glaze and the rough textured clay, they are little treasures. We have decided to continue with these ceramics and will be selling them in Cotes Mill, they will all be one offs and will be coveted by those who own them i am sure. Little pots of green tea that you hold with both hands to keep you calm and warm on a wet windy day, big bowls full of comforting noodles and broth or just a place to keep a little handful of flowers.
There is always something special about owning a little pot, especially when it has been made locally and is the only one of its kind. Im sure many of us have made little pots as children, we have given them as presents to our mums or dads and they probably still have them somewhere. A pot is special and it lasts and it has memories and beauty however odd it looks.
As with so many things at deVOL it started with Paul, he interviews someone, or sees something that he likes then 6 months down the line it is actually a reality. Old vintage kilns bought off ebay and overhauled, room set up, a carte blanche to get everything required to make it happen, a graduate or two with lots of talent and away they go. What an enlightened way to begin a business and how rewarding to see young people learning and being allowed to just find the right way. It makes deVOL even more inspiring as a place to visit and work, seeing the diverse things we get up to and the results. It’s fun and rewarding, but most importantly it gives our customers more and more to get excited about.
Our pots will be on display in our Cotes Mill showrooms over the next days and weeks, pop in and take a look. They won’t be expensive, they will be just perfect for a little early Christmas pressie.
