Our latest range of cards designed by Saskia Pomeroy is a riot of colour, collage and cut and paste type. To mark the launch of the embossed collection, we chatted with the Glasgow-based artist about her multidisciplinary approach to making and the delicate art of balancing life, work and motherhood all at once.
Interview by Wrap / Photography by Katherine Anne Rose excluding lead image
Saskia Pomeroy is an artist with many strings to her bow. From ceramics to collage, she throws clay into playful vessels, and snippets of paper into energetic collaged compositions with equal gusto.
After studying Illustration at Glasgow School of Art, Saskia spent some time in London working as a commercial screen printer and developing her multifaceted portfolio which spans print, drawing, painting and sculpture. Now she's back in Scotland where she grew up, and she's still wearing many hats: maker, mother and market stall trader to name a few. To celebrate her collection of 10 collaged cards for Wrap, we chatted with Saskia about making by hand, having lots of projects spinning at once and allowing creative practices to collide and inform one another.
Hi Saskia! Can you tell us a bit about your artistic background?
I was brought up in rural Scotland with two artist parents, so you could say that I’ve been deeply entrenched in the arts from the beginning. We were poor at points but my parents are two extremely resourceful people so I never felt like I was going without. They grew their own vegetables and we had chickens. I truly loved growing up in the countryside as I was free to roam as I pleased and my parents passed on their creative skills and thoughts to keep me amused and challenged.
We love that you have such a multidisciplinary approach to making. Can you sum up your practice for us?
My practice hours are currently reduced as I have two children so I would say that I am 50 percent at home doing family/life stuff, 40 percent in the studio making pots and about 10 percent in my home studio making physical work, digital work and doing admin. Having two children is a whole job in itself both physically and mentally!
When I do get into the studio I usually start by casting some mugs as they need some time to set in the moulds and then be trimmed before I leave again. Then I’ll maybe throw some new things, or do some glazing. The studio is an escape for me as it's where I can be myself, and not a mother. When I’m at home I’m usually answering emails or doing freelance work, creating illustrations, print design, or making books. My goal for the coming year is to broaden my illustration portfolio with some fresh work.
Do you work on multiple projects at once or do you divide your week so you have specific days for say, collage or ceramics? Perhaps one medium informs the other?
I currently spend Wednesday to Friday working. I will usually go with what my gut tells me to do that day, so my timings are very flexible. Initially I felt like the pottery studio was very separate from my 2D work but now I try to actively make them collide to see what happens. After having kids I’ve been very much staying in my safe place and not challenging myself too much, so I need a bit of a kick up the butt sometimes. I do get very into the process though; throwing pots and making objects by hand over time is super relaxing, and a release for me until I have to engage my brain again for the decorating part. I think my way of working in the pottery studio is actually very like the collages I make because there are many elements, all in a delicate balance, touching, but only just.
Are there any creative routines you try to stick to?
Other than the throw, trim, bisc, glaze repeat routine, I don’t stick to any routine really at all. I like to flit between jobs.
What's Glasgow like as a place to live and work?
My family and I moved out of London because we were very lucky to have the opportunity to buy a property here. We couldn’t afford our ideal type of house in London, and both being freelancers, technically we could work anywhere. This notion was then cemented by Covid-19. When we moved back to Scotland, the disparity between the two cities in terms of infrastructure investment, the general health of the people and how flipping quiet it was on the street became obvious to me. When I’ve been back in London since, I’ve been surprised at the volume of people. I do miss the culture of London though – food culture, shows, exhibitions, it’s all happening down there. London, I miss you! Moving back up to Scotland was a political choice as well. I despair at Westminster politics and here there is a chance to distance ourselves from that, we hope. Glasgow has a very vibrant arts and music scene, and we have many friends here.
Can you tell us a little about the market stall you run?
I share a studio with another artist and together we took on a stall at the historic Glasgow Barrowlands Market. It’s a tough gig because the footfall isn’t there yet, but I imagine in time it’ll be a kind of Brick Lane vibe with more food stalls and makers like us. There’s a lot of character to the area so you get a real mix of old school Glasgow, and the new school of gentrification too. It was a really nice tonic to the Covid lockdown times, being able to be on the street talking to people in real life again. It keeps me going when times get tough.
l predominately sell my ceramics, including an ever-changing range of hand-thrown, small-batch mugs, plates, bowls, and one-off vases. I also sell my marbled papers, jewellery, coasters, and t-shirts alongside pieces by other makers too. There’s a guy down the street who shouts “cigarettes, tobacco, Viagra” all day long and next to him is the happy hardcore guy who really keeps the energy up when he’s there.
We're delighted to have worked on this new collection of greetings cards with you! Can you talk us through how you approached making them?
I’m delighted you asked me! Every single card design started as a physical collage that was then scanned. I cut out bits of coloured paper and magazines to create the shapes, and all the text was hand cut too. After the initial round of physical artworks were made we did some digital editing and if more shapes were needed I painted them in digitally or sometimes I cut out new shapes and scanned them in. I was keen that the cards retained a physical collage look, so just printing a direct scan wasn’t quite the right way to go. We decided to emboss the shapes and letters so they looked raised like the originals.
Do you have a favourite card in the collection?
My two favourites are Thanks and Yas!. They are both very direct, and cheeky in mood. In ‘Yas!’ the shapes are irregular and fun and in ‘Thanks’ the letters seem to tumble down in a really appealing, accidental way. I love sending cards and letters as I think anything like that is so appreciated in such tech-based times. Nothing says "I care" more than a real card with a note inside.
And finally, what’s up next for you Saskia?
I would like to further develop the digital botanical illustrations I made last year, and make some really big collage pieces too. I’ll be working on our market stall, and developing some exciting new slip cast ceramic products this year, with the help of a 3D printer.
Shop Saskia's full collection here
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saskiapomeroy.com / @saskia_pomeroy