Featured Maker // Little Lovers Ceramics
Kate Lovery
Little Lovers Ceramics
Kate Lovery is the fabulous designer-maker behind Little Lovers; a collection of beautiful handmade jewellery created from porcelain clay.
Having always loved ceramics, Kate booked herself onto a 10-week intensive wheel throwing course back in 2015. Kate loved it so much that she went on to study Ceramic Design at Harrogate College. Towards the end of the course, her small decorative jewellery pieces received a positive response, and when a local shop owner asked her if they could stock them, Little Lovers began.
Kate’s background is in PR, marketing and events. She has worked in a few different countries and lived in Australia for over 10 years. Kate moved back to the UK, close to her family in Yorkshire and launched Little Lovers in 2018.
Kate tells us a little more about her process, her inspiration and creative journey.
Why is creativity important to you?
I felt like a frustrated creative for many years. I’ve really enjoyed my career, but I always felt that creativity was not something I was entitled to participate in, and those career choices were for other people. When I decided to go back to college and study ceramic design, I never thought I would make a business from it; I just wanted to find a creative outlet. I realised there is no right or wrong when it comes to creativity. You might not master a particular technique, or an experiment might not go as planned, but whatever the result, creativity is as much about the process as the end product. When I finally understood that it gave me a real sense of freedom and validity that I hadn’t felt before.
Talk us through your making process from start to finish
There are many steps to creating a piece of porcelain jewellery. I colour all my own clay which involves adding stain to powdered clay and letting it mix for a few days before spreading it out on a plaster board and letting the water evaporate. Once I have the colour I want I cut out the shapes for my designs. It’s a tricky process because you don’t want the clay to be too wet but leave it too long and it will easily dry out and crack. Once cut and dried, these shapes go in the kiln for a ‘bisque’ firing which is around 1000 degrees and takes about 24 hours. They come out feeling like set plaster and can be polished using a diamond block to ensure a smooth finish. Then I begin applying glaze. The next firing goes up to 1220 degrees and this develops the glaze as well as the porcelain. When finished the pieces are hard and have a translucent quality to them, I apply the metallic lustres before putting them back in the kiln for a final time at 800 degrees. The lustre looks like brown treacle before it is fired and so it is hard to see what the final design will look like.
My favourite moment is opening the kiln door to the lustre firing and seeing all the gold and silver shining and twinkling. Once I have the finished pieces, it’s time to get them onto earring fittings or necklaces. I make all the hardware myself; I think it adds to the uniqueness of each piece.
Tell us about your inspirations
I’ve collected ceramics, particularly vintage and retro pieces, since I was a teenager and I’m always on the lookout for more whenever I go to car boot sales, charity shops or auctions. I find a lot of inspiration in these pieces, particularly shape and colour. But that said, my creativity, is mostly driven by how I’m feeling so it could be anything from a song, a beautiful view or a change in the season.
“There is no right or wrong when it comes to creativity... whatever the result, creativity is as much about the process as the end product. When I finally understood that it gave me a real sense of freedom and validity that I hadn’t felt before. ”
Do you find having a dedicated studio gives you a more focussed approach?
I’ve been able to put a studio into my home and it has made a huge difference to how I’m able to work. Having my own studio space means I can be much more flexible with my hours and projects so I can have several production stages all going at once.
How has lock down affected you and your business?
I’ve been fortunate enough to grow my business through lockdown. I used the time I would usually have spent at craft markets and fairs to develop my product range and online shop. As people turned to online retail and support for independent makers grew, I experienced a big increase in sales. And whilst I am extremely grateful for that, I do miss meeting new and existing customers. It is important to me that I’m able to talk to my customers – to get their feedback on my work when they are holding it in their hand or trying it on.
What advice would you give to others who are starting a creative business?
The quicker you stop comparing yourself to other people the better - only you can produce the work you do, and that is pretty special. However long you think something is going to take, times it by two (especially in the beginning when you are doing everything yourself and are learning along the way).
In the first couple of years, take every opportunity afforded you. Some might go nowhere; others might open doors you would not have expected. Give yourself permission to try and fail, and then learn from the experience. It’s really the only way to grow.
Follow Little Lovers on Instagram: @littlelovers
Visit Kate’s shop on Etsy: etsy.com/shop/littleloversceramics
