London

Floortje Roetemeijer

Het Servies Fabriekje

Ceramicist | Driebergen-Rijsenburg, Netherlands

Making magic from clay

Floortje is a traditional potter and teaches ceramics to children
She was a wheel-thrower at Mobach Keramiek for a decade before opening her own workshop
She makes her own glazes from a variety of raw materials

Floortje Roetemeijer discovered her passion for ceramics after joining a friend’s pottery class at the age of 14. Instantly drawn to the challenge and possibilities of working with clay, she went on to study ceramics in Gouda and later spent a decade working at the notable Dutch pottery factory Mobach Keramiek. Since 2010, Floortje has been running her own studio Het Serviesfabriekje in Driebergen. She finds joy in creating wheel-thrown stoneware vases, candleholders and tableware that are meant to be used and cherished. “I love that you can take something from the earth, a raw material with no shape, and turn it into something beautiful,” Floortje says. Whether creating custom pieces, mixing her own glazes from scratch or sharing her skills through teaching, her works reflects care, precision and a gentle elegance.

Interview

What is the most memorable piece you have made?: While working at Mobach, I was asked to make a large vase for artist Ronald van der Hilst. I made a dozen vases called Isphahan and built each of them from five stacked components starting with a large foot. I later found out that some of those vases were displayed in the foyer of the Rijksmuseum, which was really special to me.
How do you define a well-made object?: A well-made object is one that has been given the time and attention it needs. I make each piece with intention and I know exactly how it should look in size, shape and proportions. When I am developing something new, I search for balance. It is all about care and observation. That is something I learned – to really observe form closely.
What has been a highlight for you as a ceramicist?: I enjoyed working as a full-time thrower at Mobach in Utrecht. It was the learning experience of a lifetime. But honestly, a huge highlight for me is simply creating in my own pottery studio since 2010. I was also happy to be invited to give wheel-throwing workshops in Brooklyn, as part of Craft in Focus New York in 2019.
What compliment about your work has stuck with you?: At a young age, I started teaching my craft to children, which I think is incredibly important because crafts like this are not taught in schools anymore. Sometimes, kids look at what I am doing and say, "Wow, you are a wizard!" In their eyes I can make magic from wet clay.

Floortje Roetemeijer is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1998 and she started teaching in 2019