RMO Studio is the brainchild of Robynne, university employee by day and ceramic artiste by night. Her designs are individually unique and no design is the same. RMO is a brand we have kept our eye on for a while and it is certainly a brand to keep in watch for the Christmas period.
What inspired you to start pottery?
I worked with ceramics in secondary school and college, forgot about it for a number of years, and then started going to a class here in Liverpool back in 2016. I work in a very busy role at a university by day and, having always been into art and design, I knew a creative outlet would be good for me to help me switch off from any stresses of work.
I’ve always been interested in ceramics – it amazes me what people are capable of making from clay.
What are your biggest tips for getting started with pottery?
Get a yourself to a local class and try it! You will love it. You need a bit of patience for ceramics as it can be quite testing when things don’t go to plan. Find your favourite method of working, be that hand-building or using a potter’s wheel, and experiment between creating functional wares and decorative or sculptural items. You’ll soon find your style and create some wonderful wares. Just don’t expect to make a full dinner-set in your first few months or practice – it’s a slow process and takes a lot of time to learn how to work with clay and tools! I’m still learning techniques now, even with a number of years of experience under my belt.
What are your next moves for your business and is it full time for you, if not would you like to make it full time?
Ceramics is a part-time venture for me at the moment and I work full-time. When I finish work, I’m straight to the studio and working until 8pm most weeknights, and all day at weekends. I don’t get many days off, especially in the run up to Christmas. I am the type of person who loves being busy and can’t sit still for too long if I know there is work to be done.I imagine most part-time creatives would say they would love to take their ventures full-time if the opportunity to do so was available and it was a viable option. For me, it is the dream to do pottery full-time but that is a long way off. Over the next year, I hope to spend some time experimenting with creating new items and a range of dinnerware, and continuing to develop my own glazes.
Your designs are timeless and effortless what are your favourite designs to work on?
love making bespoke dinner-sets for people. No two sets are the same so I can guarantee each person is getting a unique piece. I’ve been asked to make dinner-sets for wedding presents, holiday homes, birthdays.
I also enjoy working on making mugs. It can be monotonous at times when I have large orders to fulfil, but to look back at what I’ve created some days, I’m so proud of myself.
A more random question but one of our favourite posts on your Instagram is the confit tomatoes on one of your signature RMO plates, what is your recipe?
I am obsessed with confit tomatoes at this time of year and using the last of the season’s tomatoes up. A jar doesn’t last more than a couple of days in our house.It’s actually a Nigel Slater recipe. He is my go-to for seasonal recipes – https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jun/24/nigel-slater-preserved-tomatoes-recipes I double the amount of garlic because you can never have enough confit garlic in my opinion.
