Carved From the Land

After multiple moves across countries and continents, Elke Lucas has arrived at a place where the landscape is abundant. From her home in the village of Northam, North Devon, every outing is an opportunity to collect inspiration for her ceramics practice. “I spend a lot of time walking along the coast paths and beaches around North Devon, as well as through the wooded valleys and open moorland, so the landscape naturally finds its way into my work.”

The range of carved bowls and mugs she has created for TOAST references a particular walk along the Patstone coast, where she witnessed slate walls laid out in a herringbone pattern. The rhythm of those lines stayed with her, eventually finding its way onto pared-back forms marked with deliberate grooves and coated with a chalky, off-white glaze. Carved by hand, the surface decoration is impossible to replicate exactly from one to the next, making each unique. “I like pieces that have a calm presence rather than demanding attention,” Elke reflects. “I'm always trying to find that balance where the shape, surface and colour work together quietly.”

Elke came to ceramics through her husband Ben, whose family founded Welcombe Pottery in Devon. She used to watch him and his mother work on the wheel, and one day, they asked if she wanted to try it. “The moment I sat down and put my hands into clay, I fell in love with it.”

At the time, the pottery used earthenware clay, sourced from their peers at Fremington Pottery. This iron-rich material was well-suited to the traditional slipware Welcombe produced. Over time, Elke developed her own style, inspired by the work of minimalist makers like Lucy Rie, where “the shape and form of the vessel were at the forefront.” After moving to Australia and setting up her own studio, she switched to stoneware and porcelain and hasn’t looked back since.

Most of all, Elke wants to create pieces that people will happily reach for and spend ordinary parts of their days with. “I love the idea that something as ordinary as picking up your favourite mug in the morning can give you a small moment of pleasure.” Now back in Devon with decades of experience throwing on the wheel, she expresses herself artistically through small decisions – from the shape of her pieces to their surface finishes – and still savours the process. “Pottery is such a tactile thing; the feel of the clay. Whether it's the velvety feel of a glaze or the combination of a carved surface and a softer glaze, I want the pieces to be pleasing, both to look at and to hold.”

Having relocated several times, adapting to new environments, materials and ways of working has been both a challenge and a “real blessing”. Starting from scratch has encouraged her to “find new ways of getting the results I wanted.” In craft, curiosity and creativity often go hand in hand, allowing experimentation to become a continual thread throughout one’s practice. Rather than seeing unfamiliar surroundings purely as a limitation, Elke has embraced each move as an opportunity to explore.

But she enjoys the consistency her current studio brings, housed in a former butcher’s shop on a side street in Northam. The original green-and-white tilework remains on the storefront, telling a tale of its history. “Local people sometimes pop in and tell me stories about coming here with their parents,” she shares. “Pottery and a butcher's shop don't have much in common, but I love the connection the building has with the local community.”

In between walks through wild Devon, Elke spends her days like this: focused periods at the wheel interspersed with visits from neighbours and new visitors. The studio opens as a gallery two afternoons per week, allowing her ample time to dedicate to her craft. “When I'm sitting at the wheel, I'm completely absorbed in what I'm doing,” she says. “I love seeing all the pieces lined up on the boards as the day goes on – there's something very satisfying about seeing a day's work gradually build up around you.”