About Iris Floor Ceramics

I first tried working with clay when I was about 10 years old. I took some classes at a local art center in Gouda and I loved it right away. Even at that young age, I managed to make a few bowls on the pottery wheel in just a few Saturday mornings. I felt really happy and knew: this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, I want to be a potter.

My parents were less enthusiastic. Buying a complete studio setup for a 10-year-old (who might have a different hobby in a few weeks) isn’t something you do quickly. So time passed, and I forgot about pottery. 

Years later I was looking for a way to feel more balanced in life, I did spend a lot of time behind the computer at work and I felt very stressed out. I wanted to slow down and ground myself again. I saw workshop offerings on social media regularly, but I wasn’t convinced. (Meanwhile, I had still forgotten about my experience as a 10-year-old!) Until one moment, “Why not after all?! But if I’m going to do this, I want to do it properly.” So I enrolled in a 2-year professional training course in Amsterdam. With textbooks and exams, not just playing with clay, but really learning a craft.

I told myself I wouldn’t rush into buying a lot of equipment until I passed my first exam. I broke that promise to myself. Within the first semester, I had turned my home office into a pottery studio.
Everything fell into place, I felt at home again. Throwing felt natural and familiar. And yes, it took a while until I received a photo from my father of 10-year-old Iris behind a pottery wheel. The same (!) pottery wheel that I have in my own studio. Coincidence doesn’t exist.

After a year of working in the home studio, my new public studio will open in the summer of 2024.