Sign up and receive 10% off all orders placed (excludes offers and sale items)
Sign up and receive 10% off all orders placed (excludes offers and sale items)
In a picturesque Hampshire village nestled into a valley, with the river Itchen flowing by and lush green fields in the distance, lies the studio of ceramicist Tash Fry. A talented multi-hyphenate, Tash works in various fields including architecture, set design and interiors, but her handmade ceramics are the integral foundation to everything she creates.
Tash’s methods for creating stunning ceramics is hand-taught and remains as close to nature as possible; she harnesses the earth’s materials to mould her functional everyday objects, using her hands as the tool with hand-pinching, coiling and slab-rolling techniques giving endless opportunities for creativity. Many of her pieces have a clear glaze, allowing the natural buttermilk shade of the clay to shine through, or they feature colours like river green and turmeric yellow drawn from the natural world around her, such beautiful ceramics.
She can often be found wandering the banks of the River Itchen foraging for wild clay or working outdoors in all weathers and choosing items from the local environment to add detail to her ceramics. Tash Fry klā pieces are characterised by unique details and their ability to bring awareness and ritual to everyday moments. We spoke to Tash about her early creations, the moments and places that inspire her and how all her creative endeavours come together in immersive, sensory experiences.
“My work with clay and the way I practice is now so intertwined with my life that it is sometimes difficult to remember a time without the connection I feel with the earth and its materials. I initially began working with clay and ceramics as a committed practice as soon as I graduated from my Interior Architecture & Design degree in the summer of 2020. My degree was extremely intense and digital-based, and it felt like my creativity had been limited to a computer screen for years at that point, so I think I was craving some sort of practice or material that would allow me to manifest my creative visions in a very physical and tactile way.
I had some clay and started to play with it every day in the midst of lockdown when it felt like there was endless time and space to dive deep into this new unfamiliar material – I can find it very difficult to carve out time like this so in a way, lockdown offered me a completely unique environment for exploration. My first pieces I remember creating were a pasta bowl and some mugs which were all absolutely tiny, but I was so proud of them! I am very passionate and have always lived a life centred around good food, so I couldn’t quite believe or get my head around that I could actually use my artworks and very own creations to serve such an integral part of life like drinking my morning coffee or eating a lovingly cooked dinner. It felt so sacred, so powerful that I could intertwine creativity and art within everyday living to elevate those seemingly ‘regular ‘ life moments, and I fell in love with this idea straight away.”
“If I can, I love to allow the making process to be a very relaxed one. I do start with a finished creation in mind for sure in terms of the object I want to create, but I definitely don’t have a specific shape or fixed look for the piece. My love for clay and ceramics are the fact that it is an organic material, it has a mind of its own, and the hand-building techniques I use offer such an innate, sense-led making process, so it definitely takes the lead there in that sense.”
“I absolutely love hosting – it’s why I am so excited to intertwine my work of ceramics, interior design and set design & styling as they all feel like the perfect tools to create perfect hosting experiences! My pieces are definitely imagined to be used for hosting and laid in beautiful table settings. It’s so hard to choose a favourite way to entertain, but I think my go-to has to be a simple al fresco dinner party, a huge fresh bowl of tomatoey pasta or tasty paella in the middle, surrounded by plenty of fragrant herbs, loads of parmesan cheese and a perfect glass of wine in the evening sunshine. Followed very closely by a brunch morning: cafe vibes at home with a table full of pastries, pancakes, fresh fruit & coffee will no doubt set you up for a perfect day ahead.”
Images by Tash Fry klā
“I absolutely work outdoors as often as I can, or as close to the outdoors as possible. When it’s pouring with rain, my favourite feeling is to be cosy warm inside my studio with a candle burning, the sound of the raindrops on the roof and windows – it makes me feel very held, so immersed in the elements, like I am just witnessing the Earth in all her glory. My studio is a very special and sacred place for me. Forever, my studio has looked like a tiny wooden garden shed, piled to the ceiling with all sorts of bits and pieces. Now, for the past year and a half I have been project managing and building a new studio space, which still feels like a dream. It is not there yet, but it is a space that is peaceful, minimalist, considered and most of all gentle, harbouring creative energies and a flow state. It has only natural materials, a space intended to feel like an intersection between the natural and built worlds, embedded in the landscape so that it feels as though you are sunken slightly within the earth. Birch Trees stretch upwards from every window, pine wood lines the doors and frames the windows, the walls are bare plaster that I plan to paint with a hand-made clay wash, and the warm stone floor offers a practical and beautiful solution. I hope to offer creative experiences, meditative workshops, and curated experiences in here to share the magic of what a space can bring.”
“My surrounding landscape has a huge effect on my ceramics and work. It is probably in truth the only affecting factor – the seasons, ever changing landscape, the elements, the colours really dictate the feeling and intention I put into my work and collections. I am endlessly inspired by my local walks beside the river Itchen which is a chalk stream, so its clear water bubbles beautifully with emerald and midnight blue tones across a bed of pure white chalk. The river feels like a constant in my inspiration; although it changes through the seasons, the water runs like a gentle, certain ribbon – this is where my signature colour, ‘River Green’ comes from.”
“It’s really exciting that you are interested to talk about this with me, as this is definitely the space I am feeling drawn towards most right now. Uniting my professional training in Interior Architecture and Design and my self-taught Ceramics work, I have begun to build a portfolio of projects as an Event Stylist & Set Designer, through table, spatial dressing and installation art to create conceptual environments. It is a very explorative, varied and abstract field, so it can be difficult to get your head round, but it is one where I am able to express my creativity in a more holistic way through multiple materials that go beyond just clay. These environments and spaces aim to evoke specific, intended emotions within their users through the unique language of our senses. Our sensory responses are ones that we cannot control or resist, I believe this raw, felt, human experience is the most powerful tool for connection – whether that be with self, others, or our earth.
I am currently planning an event that will be a creative culinary experience: think a theatrical supper club! It will be an evening of immersive food artistry, the venue space and set uniquely designed and curated, all to harbour a unique, emotional experience for its guests. I have also recently co-founded Ode Studio, a collective that creates beautifully styled spaces for weddings, intimate events or occasions. I am planning and designing a pop-up concept store over Christmas that will explore unique, beautiful food offerings, music, and workshops and blend the realms of retail store and immersive experiences.”
“As I watch the landscape soften into darker evenings, the leaves turn burnt orange and yellow on the trees, the ploughed fields grow wet with rain, I can feel all the warm terracottas and need for deeper, earthy tones pouring back into my pieces. I usually struggle to say goodbye to the hot summer as I am a Leo baby! But this year feels very different, I am really loving the focus that autumn feels like it’s offering me, the re-centering, grounding back down, the cozy evenings and bleary mornings feel very nostalgic. I have the urge to bake sweet pies and crumble with the harvest’s fruits, cook big warming soups and one-pot dinners to share with friends over candle-lit tables, and prepare for this year’s festivities with a gentle, slow pace.”
Discover Tash Fry klā in our ceramic pieces and tableware collection.
By Amy Tarrant.
More blog posts about our collections, makers, and locations.
