Kelly Parslow
Kalina Woods Ceramics
"My approach to creating ceramics is always to make something functional but to elevate it beyond the ordinary..."
I studied Fine Art and earned a Bachelor of Arts with Honours from Central Saint Martins College, London. In the years after college I made a number of short films, as writer and director. My plan was to make a feature length film, adapted from a book.
In 2017 I was living in Split and heard about a weekly ceramics workshop. I thought it would be a fun creative outlet and a way to make friends. In the workshop I learned the basics of hand building with clay and found that I had a natural ability.
In 2018 I travelled to Amsterdam to learn wheel throwing. The course was short, only 4 days, and it took 2 days just to learn how to centre clay on the wheel. But that was enough to tell me that I wanted this to be my job. Back at home I took a risk and invested in my own wheel. I watched youtube videos and practiced continuously. There was a huge amount to learn and I made many, many mistakes, but gradually I gained new skills and confidence.
Last year I decided to open my own business, Kalina Woods Ceramics. I love to experiment with new techniques and there is still so much to learn. My work is constantly evolving.
My approach to creating ceramics is always to make something functional but to elevate it beyond the ordinary. I like to make items like vases, plant pots and large bowls, which serve a useful purpose but also act as art objects.
Most of my pieces are thrown on the wheel and often I add sculptural elements, like spikes and breasts, which are individually hand sculpted. Every piece is completely unique. I usually work with white and red clay, sometimes mixing the two, and sometimes I stain the clay body itself.
I love to hand paint pieces with liquid clay stained with pigments. This makes the texture of the clay itself part of the design. Often I use glaze as a decoration rather than its designed function, which is to make the piece water tight, leaving exposed clay, which I seal with a combination of burnishing and wax.
I hope that my pieces are used everyday and bring beauty and joy into people’s daily lives.
Meet Kelly on 27th of November & 19th of December:
11-12h Ceramics Painting Workshop
The workshop will be about painting on the ceramic surface. First I will give a description of the materials, what they are made of and how that affects the application of decoration. Then I will demonstrate how I apply decoration by drawing onto and then painting onto a pot. Participants will then be able to decorate their own small pot. I will provide a range of colours with examples of how they look after glazing and firing. I will provide brushes, pencils, sponges, and mixing dishes. I anticipate the workshop lasting 1 hour. The pots will be glazed and fired and they will be available to collect from Prostor a week after the workshop. To make this easier, everyone will write their name on the bottom of the pot and take a photo once it has been decorated.
The maximum number of participants is 15 and the recommended donation is 80 kuna.
Reservation is required at info@culturehubcroatia.hr or whatsapp: +385 91 547 5811 (Marina).