Eve Simmons of Liquorice Moon Studios was always destined to be a maker. As a child, Eve and her family lived above a pottery studio on the northern beaches of Sydney. She remembers playing in the studio with her sister, dipping their hands in the hot wax (used on pots to resist glaze) and making coil pots with their grandmother.
The family later moved to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast hinterland to settle somewhere more rural. Eve completed high school and went on to study fashion design. Upon finishing her course, she pursued a photography career, with a bit of face and body painting on the side! She ended up putting down roots in the hinterland area, and starting a family of her own.
A few years ago Eve’s partner, Daniel, surprised her with a pottery wheel for her birthday. Eve has been smitten ever since. Admirably, she has taught herself to throw pots from watching YouTube videos and practising. ‘Working with clay is more difficult than it looks. It teaches me to be centered, present and persistent,’ she says. ‘Pottery incorporates many of the things I love doing – designing, painting, sculpture, and connecting with the earth,’ she says.
Eve started her Etsy shop, Liquorice Moon Studios, a couple of years ago as a platform to sell her eclectic wares. Working from her home studio, she lovingly creates each piece either on the pottery wheel or by using the handbuilding technique. The evolving range has an earthy, boho vibe and includes small dishes, planters and platters that are hand painted, impressed with printing blocks, and finished with a clear or milky white glaze that Eve mixes up herself. Some are then decorated with metallic lustres.
Eve has a small kiln that she fires up to three times a week, but has just recently bought a bigger kiln to keep up with demand. Her creative output is inspired by patterns in fabric, nature, childhood memories, different cultures, and drawings her children make. She describes her process as experimental and intuitive, which ensures she is never short of creative inspiration. ‘I often make mistakes, things don’t always turn out as expected, but this always draws me back and keeps me excited,’ she says.
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