Meg Lumley
Ceramic artist Meg Lumley of Nice Clay by Meg makes playful and feminine ceramic pieces that fuse pretty with purpose.
Words: Hande Renshaw | Photography: Courtesy of Nice Clay by Meg
Photo: Courtesy of Nice Clay by Meg
Photo: Courtesy of Nice Clay by Meg
Ceramic artist Meg Lumley divides her time between creating playful and practical pieces for Nice Clay by Meg and working as a sales consultant in the furniture industry.
For now, Meg’s ceramic work is her passion project and acts an an outlet that helps her recharge from a busy work week.
‘The process soothes me, I’m able to gather my thoughts and channel imagination in a way that is reflected in a physical object,’ says Meg.
Meg’s creative journey has been layered, with many twists and turns. After leaving school she completed a Visual Art and Contemporary Craft diploma, where she studied painting, printmaking and ceramics. She then found a strong pull to pursue a more structured career and completed a Diploma of Interior Design.
‘I found a lot of joy in creating spaces that elevated moods and had thoughtful design features, but I often found myself wanting to be the person creating the products rather than specifying them. As a result, it ended up that functional ceramics was the perfect balance between the two areas and I’ve spent the last ten years working within this'.’
Meg navigated her way back to ceramics when she felt a need for create things that had purpose. ‘For a while I had this existential guilt about putting junk into the world, so I was too nervous to create.’
‘I find a lot of inspiration in interior design and architecture – when I was living in West End a few years ago I would often take photos of details in the last art deco buildings still scattered around the area.’ Photo: Courtesy of Nice Clay by Meg
It was around this time that she coined the term, and started her side-hustle, ‘Nice Clay by Meg’. ‘The whole point of it was that it was simply some lovely bits of sculpted earth. Nothing pretentious, and all made by me.’
Today, from her studio in Brisbane, Meg creates ceramics which she describes as ‘clean, thoughtful, feminine, playful, and practical - very similar to how I’d describe myself actually!’ she laughs.
“I enjoy repetition immensely and have a real affinity for pattern, clean lines and structure in physical form.”
Plates and platters line the shelves of her studio, all featuring a distinctive scalloped edge.
‘I’m often drawn to ideas that centre around flow, cycles and waves – it almost seems fitting to have this never ending scalloped detail that’s reflective of the concepts my head is often mulling over. I also just love that the scalloped edges are fun!’
As with her work, Meg’s creative process is equal parts pleasure and purpose. ‘I aim to create things that have a use in day-to-day life, so I’m often making prototypes and continuously improving on designs to make my work the best it can be.’
For now, Meg is content working small but may one day make ceramics her full-time gig, ‘For that to happen I would need to work on it in a way that keeps the pleasure of creating at the forefront - I think that’s when you create your best work.’
‘I really want my work to be equal amounts of lovely and useful,’ says Meg Lumley. Photo: Courtesy of Nice Clay by Meg
Nice Clay by Meg pieces are made not just with beauty and purpose I mind. Photo: Courtesy of Nice Clay by Meg
‘The scalloped edges add so much visual interest to a setting and are weirdly good for chopstick rests!’ says Meg Lumley. Photo: Courtesy of Nice Clay by Meg
A selection of the prettiest coasters by Nice Clay by Meg. Photo: Courtesy of Nice Clay by Meg