Amy Kraus’ foray into ceramics started when she was looking for some striped tableware for her home. She couldn’t find anything she liked, so she decided to make her own.
The adept creative soon began selling her works at markets and quickly became a popular vendor. So much so, she’s decided to create the first ‘official’ collection of her signature striped ceramics, set to be released on June 27.
Amy’s ceramics are mostly slip-cast pieces depicting clean striped lines. Each item is bisque fired before being painted with stripes using coloured underglazes.
‘This process is tedious, repetitive, and takes a very long time,’ says Amy. ‘The longer it takes, the better, which feels very counterintuitive to say when making and selling things is usually about being efficient and cost-effective. I get into a state of flow and can paint stripes for hours and hours.’
Amy says her background in graphic design and photography informs her use of colour and composition. Within her practice, she likes to work within a self-directed set of parameters and make small iterations to test possibilities.
‘Picking a simple pattern like stripes is great because it’s simple, and I can’t get overwhelmed by the possibilities of different patterns and graphics,’ Amy explains.
‘The only rules are that I have to use stripes, and there has to be two colours in the piece. Within that framework, I am able to explore different colour combinations and variations of stripe patterns, and I am pushed to see what colours I can make work together. The best results usually come from combinations I wasn’t expecting to work well.’
The finished pieces sit somewhere between minimalism and maximalism, adding subtle colour and pattern to the lucky buyer’s home.
