Paul Fryman & Mykhaylo Tovstous

Ceramicist | Poltava, Ukraine

Closer to nature

Paul and Mykhaylo are based in the Poltava region
Paul built his ceramic studio from scratch
They created Pottery Park together

Many artisans draw inspiration from nature, Paul Fryman has chosen to become one with it. In 2009 he relocated to Burty, a tiny village far from civilization in the Ukrainian Poltava region. He built a kiln that overlooks local hills and started a new life filled with uncomplicated countryside pleasures and lots of hours of ceramic making. Poltava region is not a random place for Ukrainian pottery. In fact, it is a region with a rich heritage of ceramic making. While Paul definitely respects the past, the objects he creates with Mykhaylo Tovstous bear a distinct and innovative style. Favouring cracks, and imperfections, their works possess magnificent visual power and a touch of sacred simplicity.

Interview

©Paul Fryman

Where do you source your inspiration?: Paul: First of all, it’s no doubt the place where I live, and the environment that surrounds me, the nature. Another great source of inspiration is Japanese ceramics. To be more precise, the approach of Japanese masters to the material.
What place do traditions hold in your work?: Mykhaylo: We express traditions by transforming them and allowing the material to evolve using the least resistance. The result of such an approach is innovation.
What do you enjoy about being a ceramicist?: Paul: Opening the oven after the firing, to me, is equivalent to the sensation of travelling to other lands. The actual making process takes only five percent of my life. The rest is all about absorbing the beauty.
What is a memorable professional moment?: Paul: The time I opened the wood fired stove to see how the clay had become glazed just by being covered in ash from the burnt wood. So, my advice to young ceramicists would be to attentively observe the reaction of material. Random occurrences can create treasures.

Paul Fryman & Mykhaylo Tovstous are expert artisans: they began their career in 2000