Stories
Emmeli's unique art pieces showcased in Once Upon books
1 January 1970
Emmeli is a fantastic artist working with ceramics. Her artwork, everything from candleholders looking like knots to vases formed as giraffes, is absolutely gorgeous.
She has a studio in Gothenburg where she has been working full time with handmade ceramics for the past five years, which she sells on her Instagram account @emmelihultqvist. By collecting pictures of her artwork in photo books she can look back, get inspired & develop her ideas further every year.
How did you get started with ceramics?
It was just a coincidence, really. I was a bit rebellious in my youth and dropped out of high school, so when I got older I started at a junior college to earn my high school diploma. There I got the opportunity to take an arts and crafts class, and I chose ceramics.
What is the best thing about working with ceramics?
To step into my own world, I can just let go of everything else. Anxiety, stress and everyday thoughts just fade away. When I create, I am 100% in the present. It's my place on earth.
Which of your art pieces is your favorite?
My absolute most popular product is a candle holder in the shape of a knot that I decorate with thousands of small, small hand-painted dots. Of course I like these - but my personal favorites are often those objects that don’t quite turn out as planned!
Where did you get the idea to make a photo book about your ceramics?
I have made several books actually, yearbooks with pictures of my ceramics. It’s fun for me to have a yearbook to remember what I worked on during that year. I sell most of my pieces very quickly, so I always try to take photos of them, so I can look back, get inspired and develop my ideas later. It’s also fun to see my own development, see how my art is changing year by year. It has also been great to use the yearbooks as reference material when I meet customers and I usually have them in my studio - there are actually many customers who have asked if the books are for sale!
Emmeli's top three tips when making a Once Upon book:
1
Say it with photos
1
Make a book completely without text, you do not need text when looking at art.
2
Bit-by-bit
2
You can start a book and you don’t have to finish it all at once, do it when time, desire and creativity appear.
3
Multibook
3
Work on many books at the same time, especially if you, like me, have many ideas with different themes.
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