‘How I became a potter’

Anne Adams is an artist, potter and Writer. She learned to paint by observing roadside artists and watching YouTube videos. She explored various mediums, including canvas paintings, murals and functional art. She is a member of the Female Artists Association of Nigeria and has participated in several group exhibitions in Abuja and Lagos. She won […]

Anne Adams is an artist, potter and Writer. She learned to paint by observing roadside artists and watching YouTube videos.

She explored various mediums, including canvas paintings, murals and functional art. She is a member of the Female Artists Association of Nigeria and has participated in several group exhibitions in Abuja and Lagos. She won the Under 30s CEO Awards for the Category of Creativity and Innovation, 2019. Arts & Ideas caught up with her for a chat.

 

What attracted you to pottery?

Finding pottery was a journey. I had always loved art, but I wasn’t exactly sure of what I wanted to do and how to go about it. My first encounter with pottery was in 2008 while in Secondary School, when my arts teacher at the time had curated a small pottery studio. I was the only student attracted to the place and would follow him during prep to watch how he threw shapes on the potter’s wheel.

Unfortunately, I resumed a new term and he had left the school. The new arts teacher and I didn’t get along and no one else was interested in pottery, so the studio was closed. Fast forward to 2019, I met a ceramist, Djakou Kassi Nathalie, who came for an exhibition in Abuja, and the rest is history.

What informs the designs you explore in your work and how peculiar are they to you? 

I feel a strong connection to lines. Lines are endless. You can connect as many lines as possible to form beautiful patterns. I love rhythm too and my works are influenced by the freedom of expression that my hands and brain have. It shows how connected we are to everything around us. I also like to portray dependence. No one is an island. We need each other to go through life.

The abstractness of your designs gives the impression you would have made a great painter. What informs them and what do you try to say through them, if at all?

I also paint. Before I started pottery, I was painting on canvas and walls, and I made functional art. Like I said earlier, finding pottery has been a journey. All the stages I passed through made me find pottery and I’m able to use those experiences to make my work distinct. I’ll still go back to painting when the time is right.

Who were your early influencers in the pot making craft?

I remember when I started learning how to paint in January 2018, I made a sketch Of Ladi Kwali on canvas that remains unfinished till date. I knew she was one of Nigeria’s most successful potters, and I was inspired by her works and achievements. She was my first reference to Pottery. I was also inspired by Djakou Kassi Nathalie, Halima Cassell and Tammy Garcia.

What were your early challenges?

I had to move from Abuja to Lagos to be tutored by my teacher. There are very few professional potters in Nigeria. It was a tough decision, because I had to leave my family and friends, and also considering I was already building a career in the Abuja art scene. I think nothing beautiful comes out of a comfort zone.

How would you describe your experience making your first pot?

I was nervous. For some reason I was scared of the clay, but I had to put my fears behind me. I made a cylinder-shaped pot as my first assignment and it came out pretty well.

How related would you say your educational background is it to what you do now?

I have a B.sc in Economics from Babcock University, Ogun State. It’s not in any way related to what I do now, but you can’t run away from who you truly are. Art found me at the time when it knew I’d be ready, and I have not looked back since then.

How lucrative has pottery been for you so far?

My first pot after four months of training sold for a good amount. The highest amount I have made at once.

When you aren’t making pots, what do you do?

I love the outdoors. I enjoy going for a good hike, listening to music, eating in fancy restaurants and reading books.