artist statement.
In my ceramic practice, I return to the volcanic landscape of my childhood in Kamchatka, where everyday life unfolded between lava fields and the silhouettes of volcanoes. The feeling of vast space and my own smallness stayed with me and now appears in my ceramics as an inverted scale: the immensity of the landscape remains offstage, while small botanical fragments are enlarged and brought close. The contrast between bright plants and rough lava reappears in the work as glossy, coloured glazes set against dry, rough clay surfaces.
Weathered forms—pods, pinecones, seed cases—draw me in as they change over time: from young, green fullness to open, mature structures; from enclosing life to revealing the architecture that once held it. In these transitions, nature becomes a series of shifting mirrors, reflecting back phases of human experience.
Through these forms, I create contemplative objects that invite reflection on inner change and the amazement of life continuing to unfold from within as we age.
selected work.
bio.
I was born and raised on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, in a family of volcanologists. Growing up among remote, harsh volcanic landscapes has left a lasting imprint on how I see form, scale and colour. My first degree was in geochemistry, but after moving to the United States I changed direction and studied applied sciences, building a successful career in the IT industry. I still work in this field as a contractor, specialising in user experience research and service design.
Alongside this, for more than twenty years I have been developing a sustained ceramic practice, learning the material through courses, mentorship and continuous studio work. Three years ago my husband and I founded Clayverse, a ceramic studio and community space in Surrey, UK. Since then I have deepened my artistic practice: ceramics has become my main language for thinking about time, change and human experience.
Coming to art later in life, with the experience of motherhood, marriage, a long career in industry, close friendships and moving between countries, I translate these experiences into clay, where they form the foundation of a practice that is both rooted in lived experience and committed to high craft.
