The first time I saw Pawena Thimaporn’s work, I immediately felt a connection to it. The simple shapes juxtaposed on clean forms really spoke to my graphic sensibilities and I instantly became a fan. Fast foward a little and a few weeks ago I was able to finally meet her in person! We hung out one morning in her charming little garage studio in Woodland Hills, CA.
1) You are originally from Thailand, can you tell me a little of your background, and what brought you to the states?
I grew up in the countryside about 2 hours away from Bangkok. I went to a boarding school when I was little because our house was very far from anything. When I got older ,in my teen years, I moved to Bangkok and finished my BFA in industrial design at KMITL. It was there that I saw an Art Center Collage of Design poster posted on one of the walls at the university. I was always curious about life outside of my own country and wanted to know more, so I did some research about colleges and universities in the US and applied to some of them. Eventually I ended up at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA.
2) Your background is in Graphic Design, how did you transition from that to working with ceramics?
It was actually the other way around! I originally started with ceramics back when I was at KMITL in Bangkok, then graphic design here at Art Center. After working full time in the design field for about 15 years, I am now back to ceramics again!
3) Can you speak a little about your process? Do you start with a sketch, or do you kind of let the “medium” dictate what you do?
I do both. I have a sketch book that I carry with me in my bag. I will sketch out ideas when I waiting for my kids, in the car on a road trip, etc. but most of time time, ideas just come while I am working. I usually sketch right on the dry clay. Since the work is dimensional, it is hard to know how a design will work on an object if I just sketch on a 2D surface. It also helps to have some old work to play around in the studio. They are the best source of color and clay body reference and also help spark new ideas. I will put them next to each other, stack them, draw on them, etc…
4) How long does it take for you to do an average piece?
It is depends on the design. Each piece has different stages and waiting times in between from start to finish, so it is a bit hard to know exact making times. But the general steps for a piece will be : First, preparing the clay, throwing it on the wheel, waiting until it’s leather hard, trim, wait until it’s completely dry, paint, put it into bisque firing, glaze and finally put it into glaze firing. Some of the pieces with handles, such as mug and pitcher will have extra steps.
5) What has been inspiring you lately? are there any current artists work that you are admiring/following?
I am not sure why, but lately I keep looking at old children books and short poems with simple black and white drawings. Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec are those among other designers and artist whose works I have been admiring.
6) Are there other mediums you’re interested in exploring outside of ceramics?
Yes and yes, and a lot of them! I am not sure when I will be able to find the time, but I would love to paint another surface beside clay. I also would like to see my designs on other mediums such as fabric and glassware.
7) What would be your dream project?
A dream project for me would be to create a collection of objects and exhibit them with my paintings somewhere. I would love to see my works together as a group in an interesting space.
8) What’s next for you?
I guess finding time to working on my dream project, and having a big enough of working space for that! 🙂
Check out more of Pawena’s work via her website and instagram.