Emily Brookfield
Within each one of Emily Brookfield’s dreamy ceramic pieces is a homage to both the long-standing history of clay and the intersections with nature.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson
Organic shapes, raw textures and soft colours all appear within Emily Brookfield’s sensory and playful ceramics. Her works connect the vessel with its maker, each gesture is documented on the surface, and the structures take shape as ethereal objects that could have been found in an ancient city or forgotten shipwreck.
Even though the designer grew up with creative parents, ceramics came later in life — Emily claims that clay chose her. “I don’t think I ever consciously made the decision to become a ceramic artist,” she shares. “I’ve always been creative in some way and found that clay is a really amazing way to express yourself, soothe yourself and tune out the stresses of life. So, I decided to follow the ‘flow’ of it all, and it led me to where I am now.”
While she was working in retail and feeling burnt out and uninspired, Emily found herself at local pottery classes in 2016, seeking a creative outlet. “I kept coming back to local pottery classes and decided to book a class while I was on the way into work one morning on the train,” she adds. “That was it.”
“I’ve always been creative in some way and found that clay is a really amazing way to express yourself, soothe yourself and tune out the stresses of life,” says Emily Brookfield. Photo - Emily Brookfield.
Organic and raw shapes are a constant feature in Emily Brookfield’s work. Photo - Emily Brookfield.
“Ceramics is a medium where you’re always learning. I also love the tactility; clay is a very hands-on medium. ”
“I do love colour, so I’m leaning into incorporating more colour into my work,” says Emily Brookfield. Photo - Emily Brookfield.
These classes helped the designer quit her job and take a plunge into the deep end. With help from her partner, she began volunteering at the workshop and selling her creations at markets. However, after a few years, Emily decided to push herself into the conceptual to ground her practice that questions functionality. The designer enrolled in a BFA at RMIT majoring in Ceramics in 2019, but while covid has put a small hold on this for now, the designer continues to exhibit her artistic creations.
The whole process for one vessel can take up to a month for the intricate works, as Emily takes between one day to one week to build each piece. They then need to dry out evenly, before being carefully fired in her kiln. The glaze is then applied, and a final firing finishes off the works.
“There’s nothing like getting your hands stuck into clay.”
In her latest collection for Saint Cloche, Keepsake (part of the group show NAUTILUS), Emily imbues 12 hand-built ceramic pieces with shell forms — as though they were found on the shore — glistening with a glossy glaze. The collection reflects on the vessel as a form of art, rather than a design object. “I don’t have a specific style that I am drawn to that I am aware of, but I love work that is authentic to the artist,” Emily thoughtfully adds.
Living on the cusp of the Yarra Valley inspires Emily to continue to create. And even with a couple of exhibitions scheduled for early next year, the designer isn’t finished learning. “No matter if you’re a master or beginner, there is always something to learn,” she concludes.
“I live in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne, on the cusp of the Yarra Valley, so it is very leafy and full of wildlife. My surroundings help to foster a calming and relaxed environment in which to create my work,” says Emily Brookfield.
Photo - Emily Brookfield.
VISIT
NAUTILUS GROUP SHOW ENDS 10TH JANUARY SAINT CLOCHE 37 MACDONALD, PADDINGTON, SYDNEY