Julie is one of the latest additions to The Gallery. Her delightful and delicious-looking porcelain ceramics are proving very popluar this autumn, particularly her yummy Cupcake pots!

Julie specialises in designing and producing unique interior accessories that are both useful and beautiful, using a variety of techniques to achieve her creations such as slip casting combined with body stains and marbling. We decided to catch up with Julie to find out more...

1. What is your studio like?
Downstairs I have my kilns & all my finished ceramics waiting to go off to various places. Very girlie, filled with pretty fun cupcake things, lots of magazines cuttings featuring my ceramics framed on the walls along with lots of photos too. Upstairs is lovely & warm from the heat of the kilns & it’s where I do all my slip-casting.

2. Who is your biggest influence/inspiration?
Some of my influences include; Nigella Lawson, Andy Warhol, France, 1950 & 1960s period of time, Lucie Rie - just to name a few.

3. Did you enjoy university/ do you feel its important to get a degree?
I do believe it is very important to get a degree as you can gain so much from it. I loved university and in total I spent six years studying Art & Design! I studied at the Colchester Institute school of Art and Design. I was the only student in the history of the Art school to have completed and followed through the three consecutive courses i.e. GNVQ, Advanced GNVQ and Art and Design BA (Hons) degree.

4. When did you first realise you wanted to work with ceramics?
I've always be creative and enjoyed making things from a young age. It was during my Advanced GNVQ studies that I became drawn to clay.

5. Do you consider yourself an artist, a business woman or both?
Definitely both. I love what I do but I also want to make a good living from it. So I've pushed myself hard and successfully promoted my ceramics all over England.

6. Which piece from your collection is your favorite?
My cupcake range of work would have to be my favorite.

7. What is the nicest thing anyone has ever said about your work?
There’s been lot’s of nice things said but the most frequent thing said is from gallery owners about my porcelain cupcakes – “they sell like hot cakes!”

8. .....and the nastiest?
I don't think there has ever been a nasty comment made.

9. Do you like modern art?
I don't think that I could dislike any art because even if I did not find the actually piece pleasant to look at I would still be intrigued to hear the thought behind it. So yes.

10. Do you prefer the city or the countryside?
To live and work I prefer the countryside, but for free time I love going to the city, trips to the theatre, ballet, restaurants, shopping etc...

11. Whats your favorite time of year?
I don’t have a particular favorite time of year there is so much to like about each of the different seasons.

12. Where are you happiest?
In my studio

13. Do you have any advice for young artists?
Be prepared to work hard, be very self motivated & never give up!

14. Where would you like to be in 5 years time?
Living in France, working from my lovely ceramics studio in my garden and having my work in many galleries all over France.

15. If you could eat one of your cupcakes, which one would you choose?
To difficult to choose one! I would imagine them to be all so delicious I would have to have a small bit of each.