Julia Saffer

Ceramicist

Tradition with a twist

Julia's works follow the principles of symmetry and repetition
She left an engineering career to become a ceramicist
She considers tradition to be the gateway to innovation

Julia Saffer had already shelved her childhood dream of becoming a ceramicist and instead decided on a career in electronic engineering as it promised more financial security. But after a few years in the job “the desire for a fulfilled professional life was simply greater than the supposed security of a monthly income,” she says. Consequently, she quit her job and went back to school. She completed her training at the technical school for ceramics in Höhr-Grenzhausen in 2015 and remained in the town, a centre for ceramics, to open her studio and follow that childhood dream. “So far I have not regretted my decision,” Julia says. Her success proves it was the right one.

Interview

Where did it all begin?: At home on a small scale, then I took courses at the adult education centre, but that didn't satisfy me for long. The more I learned, the more my demands increased. I bought my own potter’s wheel and a small kiln and started producing my first ceramics in the basement of my house. Everything was provisional.
But that changed when you moved to Höhr-Grenzhausen?: Yes. Today my workshop is in the Keramik-KASINO, a shop-gallery for ceramics which is an integral part of the ceramics culture in Höhr-Grenzhausen. We are one of the oldest and best known ceramic regions in Germany and I think as a ceramicist you are in exactly the right place here.
Can tradition and innovation go hand in hand?: Tradition is important, especially as a basis for reinterpretation and development. The way I work is traditional, but it becomes innovative through the use of thin, spiral-shaped elements. Also, the surface treatment Terra Sigillata has been used for centuries, but the way I colour and refine it gives the objects a modern character.
Your works seem to almost hide their manual origin...: I think it is the 'curse' of craft in general that the end-product often gives little evidence of the hard work, time and effort that was put into it, as the production process is not visible. However, making people wonder is also part of the magic.

Julia Saffer is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2010