Firing Up the Frooly Community

“I’m just loading up a kiln full of goodies”, Lianne Mellor announced as I entered her cosy little studio on Wednesday morning.

And sure enough, there she was, knelt over a small kiln in the corner of the room, packing it full with China, covered in what looked like blue patches...not what I had expected.

“This is how my china starts out life”, she explains. “I buy it from a family-run business in Stoke-on-Trent, and then I do all the illustrations myself. I call myself an illustrator...it just happens to be that I illustrate on China!”

Well, paper is over-rated anyway.

The blue paper patches are the transfers that she’s made from her illustrations. “They begin blue”, she explains when she sees my puzzled expression. “It’s so that the wrinkes and bubbles show. Once it’s fired it’ll go nice and colourful!”

Phew!

While studying for an architecture degree at the University of Sheffield, Lianne began selling her illustrations at local art markets. Graduating into a recession, job opportunities were few and far between and she ended up working for Cath Kidston in Liverpool (before she was cool), but she informs me that she “always wanted to do more with my illustrations and have a product”.

Lianne busies herself, making sure she’s made the best use of space in the kiln. After all, each cycle takes 12 hours, and she’s got a deadline to meet.


Lianne and her company Mellor Ware are a perfect example of how the frooly community can add more than just a web presence to your business. As I poke around her studio, she explains how she’s making a bespoke range of china for frooly favourites PJ Taste for their relaunch at Site Gallery.

“I was introduced to them through frooly. I went to a frooly training session, and I met Peter there. He brought a load of flapjacks” she recalls, “and we got talking” (as anybody would with a man who carries flapjacks around!)

“We had a series of consultations, and we decided on these angled bowls and baguette trays”. She shows me the beautiful China bowls that she’s already fired and readied. “With the illustrations I wanted to give that kind of organic, local, pulled from the earth feel”, and that was certainly evident.

As the kiln begins to heat up, so too does Lianne’s studio. The kiln’s insulation ensures that the room only reaches a comfortable temperature, and I decide that I might just stay there all day.

“I don’t have a TV, and I don’t have a microwave...but I’ve got one of those”, she says, pointing to her kiln. “Every house should have one!”

I’m not sure about that Lianne, but we’re certainly glad that you’ve got one.

Find Mellor Ware on frooly
View the whole video chat on our YouTube channel.