THE Plate Maker has become a creative outlet for ceramic artist Andrea Yeo to sell her handmade creations.
The Iluka resident has been designing and making ceramics since early 2017, initially as a hobby after spending an afternoon in a pottery cafe painting a salad bowl.
“I enjoyed painting the piece, but thought to myself that I should learn the whole process from start to finish,” she said.
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READ NOW“I wanted to take time out of my routine of part time work and regular household commitments and really be able to immerse myself in a creative head space.
“With ceramics, I still have a great deal to learn technically.
“Nevertheless, I have learned enough to be able to use my creative flare to build some very practical but aesthetically pleasing pieces.
“I’ve always enjoyed being creative, whether it has been through my hobbies of drawing, creating mosaic artwork, jewellery making, cake decorating or styling my home.
“With ceramics, the thing I most enjoy is being able to make functional pieces of art for the table that I, as well as others, can enjoy using.
“There is something about using a handmade bowl or plate that is different to using mass produced tableware.”
Yeo said she discovered a supportive community through people following her Instagram page, and what to show that there were people creating interesting pieces in the area.
“There do not seem to be many makers and creatives in the northern suburbs,” she said.
“The return to the beauty and feel of handmade products and the concept of slow living seems to be a southern suburbs and Fremantle thing.
“One of the things that I would like to see is a swing back to making and using hand made products and in the process, attract to our northern suburbs a similar arts vibe to the one that can be experienced in and around Fremantle.”
Yeo said the ocean and leaves of native and garden plants had inspired some of her most recent creations.
“In one collection, I’ve managed to interpret the colours and texture of the sand, the blues, greens and sea foam, and incorporate them into a collection of bowls,” she said.
“I also make a range of platters that are reminiscent of white seashells.
“I’ve used grape leaves on a past series of platters, and more recently, I’ve used the leaves and nuts from gumtrees and the colours of those leaves to inspire another range of bowls.”
Visit https://the-plate-maker.myshopify.com to see her work.