“Last year I had a chance to visit Lanzarote and La Graciosa which are part of Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. The landscapes there were absolutely breathtaking and versatile - as you can see on the photos.” The vessels in this collection are made using the pinching technique, which is probably the oldest way to make ceramics. I stretched the clay to create rock-like textures, whereas for the water effect I relied on glazing. The pieces are single-fired, which means that I apply glazes straight on raw clay. This is technically challenging but as less energy is required to fire them, it is better for the environment.”

Her primary tools are her fingers. She shapes each ceramic piece individually with the pinching and slab building technique. These techniques provide Robak’s pieces a natural effect. She usually starts with a single ball of clay that is single glazed after drying. This process also involves a great amount of risk as there are possibilities that the piece might break during the single glazing process. One can see different textures as well as different layers in one single ceramic piece, for instance, the Lanzarote Inside the Volcano Vase or the Lanzarote Beach and Rocks vessel. Both of these marvellous pieces are a part of the Cluster Crafts sale collection. In one of the pieces, she has beautifully played with both matte and glossy texture, which is achieved by partially glazing the ceramic piece. The piece from the inside appears glossy or wet. Each of the pieces in the Lanzarote collection is exclusive and comes in different colours.

Thank you for reading,
Aditi Kumar & Cluster Team.