London, England
Lydia with her beautiful ceramics.
To put simply, Lydia Hardwick is a pattern goddess. When I first found her on the ‘gram, I like bombed her feed in a frenzy. Her contrast in her color usage makes your eyes light up and the shapes of her ceramics make you want to decorate your entire home in them, which is a goal of mine, and most likely will be yours too after you read this interview and see her work. Let the mutual obsession begin!
What’s your first memory of art making?
When I was 4 or 5 years old, I made a tiny little ceramic bowl with shapes of fish attached to the outside. I remember being amazed at how much it had changed after being fired in the kiln. I didn't quite understand what had happened - it was most definitely magic. I didn't touch clay again for another 15 years.
How did you find the medium you currently work in? Do you ever switch it up?
At the moment I work solely with clay, but in the past I've painted and worked with textiles.
“I enjoy having the restriction of committing to a material, but equally most of my inspiration comes from work made in different mediums.”
I'm drawn to the work of artists like Noguchi and JB.Blunk who moved freely between materials, but still maintained an interest in one or two mediums specifically, so I can imagine at some point I will open up my practice again.
Inlaid Stoneware Pot
Do you have a degree in art or are you self-taught? If you received a degree in art, did you go
straight into art making full time or was it a different journey?
I started off studying for a degree in Sculpture, but half way through my course, I switched to ceramics. I went on to complete an MA in Ceramics at the Royal College of Art in London. Financially, it wasn't viable for me to commit myself full time to making art, so I trained as a secondary school teacher and then went on to teach freelance in museums and galleries in London.
Terracotta and Stoneware Pots.
When was the “a-ha!” moment where you decided to take on art as a career? Tell me your “I am an artist” story!
I'm 33 now, and this is the first year when I've made my entire living from my ceramic work. We all need to make ends meet. My advice is to do this in a way that might give you a little amount of time to keep your practice going in the background.
“Even if you stay committed to it for one day a week, your work develops so much over the years, and something will come of it.”
I didn't really have a choice with regards to keeping up my practice. Making has always been something that I do.
Tell me about your creative space! Do you have an in-home studio or do you rent a space? Do
you prefer one over the other if you’ve experienced both types of spaces? Is your studio messy
or organized?
My studio is in a large room in my house. This works well for me, and I am lucky to have the space - I can go and check on my work throughout the evening if necessary. When studying, I enjoyed the shared studios as I'd often end up in very valuable conversations with my peers, but the older I get, the more I need my own space to concentrate! Clay is VERY MESSY, but I need an organised and clean space. You don't want to be breathing in clay dust, it is so bad for your lungs. So I often clean down my studio two or three times a day.
Terracotta and Stoneware Pots.
Do you work on multiple pieces at once?
The nature of ceramics, needing to work on the clay in different states of dryness, means I constantly juggle making different work all at once.
What are you currently working on?
Currently I am churning my way through a number of large orders to my first international stockists, in Tokyo, the USA and Amsterdam. I wish I had a more inspiring answer for you, but when I get focussed on working through something big, I don't let my mind off the task too much.
What inspires your work?
I am often drawn to patterns and motifs found within ancient craft objects and textiles, made by communities that attribute great expressive power to visual things. I never replicate objects and patterns, rather I amalgamate what I have learnt from these making traditions with influences from European art and design.
Black and White Stoneware with Slips. Approximately 23 cm tall.
How do you balance real life and art making? Do you schedule your creative time? Do you
create everyday?
My work life balance isn't so great right at this moment - I am currently working seven days a week, and this is not sustainable!
“I try to go for a walk every day, and meditate for a short while twice a day.”
It is important for me to factor in time for admin, accounting, responding to enquiries and packaging work. The packaging takes up a huge amount of time!
How do you feel about social media in the art world?
Oof, this one is a double edged sword! My business has become dependent on Instagram. Through this, I've met some amazing people, and made contacts that I'd never make in the real world, as I'm not much of a networker/socialite! So it is a great tool. But it is very important not to let it own you, and sometimes my brain feels too saturated with images, everything is too accessible and loses its vitality.
“It makes seeing art in the flesh so much more appealing.”
Rhombus Terracotta Pot with Black and White Slips.
What message do you hope comes across through your artwork?
I hope that my work appeals to people on a fundamental and intuitive level, touching the part of us humans that has an innate understanding of working with materials, colour and pattern.
You can find more of Lydia’s work on her Instagram. Check out her website to see all of her beauties that she has available for purchase and to see what projects she’s working on!