Welcome to The Pottery Parade!
We are a small creative studio based in Utrecht, the Netherlands. We create colorful ceramic characters that will hopefully bring a smile to your face:) Our items range from pots and vases, to sculptures and dishes that all carry a similar cheerful character.
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The Pottery Parade was founded by Sandra Apperloo in 2018. After developing her skills and style and growing her studio, she slowly started welcoming new, inspiring people to help her out. The Pottery Parade is currently a team of 4.
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As each of our items is made entirely by hand, each is unique and has its own quirky little personality. Handmade ceramics are never perfect. We believe it's an important part of their character. When you are interested in purchasing one of the pieces in the shop, please read the descriptions carefully before doing so. We hope you will enjoy our ceramics as much as we love creating them!
Sandra Apperloo
My name is Sandra and I am the founder and product designer behind The Pottery Parade.
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I love colors and patterns. I have a weak spot for pastel shades, I like to sculpt tiny eyes, paint freckles and I challenge myself to try out new fun things all the time. From the biggest vase to the tiniest sculpture, I put love and thought in every item I create. Unloading ceramics from the kiln gives me the best feeling ever. I love seeing how all the different characters turn out after the firings!
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I hope my work makes people laugh and daydream. I hope they distract from daily businesses, leave warm feelings and tickle imaginations.
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I hardly create plans or designs before starting a new project. I usually decide on the shape when I am building it, finding what feels good at that moment. This is the case for every part of the process: shaping, sculpting, choosing the colors and painting the patterns. It helps me to stay open minded and try out new things, which I feel is really important in my work.
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Maxime Blankenzee
My name is Maxime and I am a product photographer and ceramicist at The Pottery Parade.
I started helping out with product photography since October 2020. For the past year, I have also been assisting with the production of ceramics. I started getting my own hands dirty with mud in 2019, when I developed a passion for creating vases with organic shapes. I'm also currently experimenting with illustration. In addition to working at The Pottery Parade, I currently study Social Geography in Utrecht. It's great to be able to continue working with ceramics in this way!
See more of Maxime's work on Instagram
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Zita Halewijn
I'm Zita and I've happily been working as a studio assistant since the winter of 2022.
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I manage the packaging of the items; prepare them for their trip to their new owners. For me, the work is very soothing and at the same time, it excites me to work in a creative invoirment. I have recently started to make the clay slip for the ceramics and I'm in a process of learning more about making ceramics. In my free time I like to cook, do sports, be active outside in the sun or in the forests and I like going to the Kleimibo's (which is how we call our frequent afternoon drinks:). I'm also currently studying Dietetics in The Hague.
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Marinda van Valkengoed - Limburg
Hi! I'm Marin and I'm currently studying illustration at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. I joined The Pottery Parade as an intern in February 2023.
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I am a digital and analog sculptor, working towards starting on my own small creative business. I am learning tons of new things about clay, which is so much fun. I am so grateful to have Sandra as my mentor! I help out with a diverse range of things in the studio, including the production of ceramics. The thing I like most about working with clay is that it is always already something tangible; a material that is mine to shape. I never have to fear the white page ;)
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