Today I bring you our second interview for the “About Who” series, Clara French Ceramique.
Micaela Willis has been working with Clay for 22 years. A passion for the arts was ignited by her Grandmother and business namesake Clara French at a very young age. Micaela studied Ceramics and found herself making a wedding cake stand for her sisters wedding. Shortly after, Clara French Ceramique was born.
1/ Micaela you launched Clara French Ceramique after creating a cake stand for your sister’s wedding. Since then your pieces have been adored by many a bride. Was it your intention upon studying ceramics to launch a business catering to the bridal industry?
Honestly when I went to college to study ceramics, I never thought about what I would do with my degree when I finished school! I just loved ceramics and creating things and hoped that the rest would follow. The transition from making work for galleries and shows to cake stands for brides was a considered decision. I really wanted to transition from being an artist to becoming a product designer. I wanted to start a small business that had the potential to grow into something larger. The positive response to the dessert dishes I made for my sister Bethany’s wedding led me to design a collection of cake stands. I feel incredibly fortunate that my work has been embraced by so many brides & people in the wedding community.
2/ Do you have an all time favourite piece?
I make tableware for my personal use that I love and use every day. One of my dreams is to design and produce a dinnerware collection. The piece I love from the Clara French Collection is the 14” Elle cake stand. Everything works on this piece. The scale feels substantial yet the piece is still graceful. The decorative lines of the scrollwork echo the lines of the form but not to excess. This design has looked great glazed in any color. I am also very excited about the new cake stand design I will be launching in 2011.
3/ Who or what inspires you when crafting new pieces for your collection?
I draw inspiration for new designs from outside the world of ceramics. I love to browse couture fashion magazines, absorbing details such as color, fabric pattern, the cut or line of a garment. Then, I translate the visual information I’ve collected into the ceramics I create. Generally after I have filled my head with inspiration, I relax…in a few days, hours or minutes
new designs come to me in a rush and I scramble to sketch out ideas. I make the first prototypes in the studio remaking and refining a design many, many times before it is ready to be added to my collection. I named my first collection ‘Bijoux’ because the stands looked like jewels when I took them out of the kiln.
4/ Many of your recent pieces are beautiful pastel creations. Have you ever dabbled with bold bright colours and if so, are you able to share any these with us?
For the dessert table of an April bride I created two multi-tiered cupcake stands and a 14” Elle cake stand in bright spring green. The vibrant dessert dishes beautifully complemented her wedding palette of daffodil, spring green, black and white. I plan to add more saturated colors to the selections that are available on my website. Currently, I offer the Elle cake stand in bright lemon yellow and bright spring green.
5/ Do you ship pieces internationally?
I do ship my ceramics internationally; I just finished cake stands for brides in Australia, Croatia, Singapore and Malaysia.
6/ Do you have a favourite type of cake to see on one of your stands?
I love seeing a great variety of cakes displayed on the stands. From clean elegant cakes to multi-tiered baroque masterpieces! I have a growing selection of cake stand designs, so often work with brides or cake designers to choose a stand that will complement their cake. I’ll attach an image of a vintage cake that inspired the Elle stand with black scroll work.
7/ If a bride has a particular colour palette in which she is theming her wedding, are you able to customize your cake stands to tie in with her colour palette?
Currently I offer nine translucent glaze colors and a multitude of accent color options. I often add accent colors to cake stands that tie into a bride’s wedding theme. For an August bride I made an Elle cake stand in ivory and porcelain white with mandarin orange scroll work. The orange added a great splash of color, perfect for a summer wedding. I can’t wait to see the photo’s from their celebration!
Thank you Micalea for participating in our “About Who” series!
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Until next time
Emma – THN
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