My studio makeover. A little tour.

by Ness Lockyer

I am so happy to be able to show you some shots off my new revamped studio. You might remember that I had Leanne Ford do a consultation with me to help me redesign the furniture placement and make some tweaks to get it back to my creative space. She was brilliant! This was all done for the cost of a few lights, tin of paint and lots of elbow grease.

These tables I already had. They are sturdy, heavy and work perfectly well. So, a fresh coat of white paint and a move to a completely different area, and they seem all new and fresh. I also gave this wall (and another wall) a textured finished which I then washed in white. The metal brand sign was made locally for me for the pop up store I had in 2019/20. The linen pendant came from Ecoco. Everything else I already had.

The split system needed to stay. I don’t mind it as it’s a necessary evil here in Tasmania with our cold winters and hot summers. I did look into maybe spray painting it white, but that’s waaaaaaay down the line of things that need doing around the farm 😂 At the back wall there, are two weird little windows that sit really awkwardly with the outside wall, so Leanne just told me to paint them. I’m using them as a place to make a little inspiration board with some favourite quotes and some of my sketches.

This post here is the first thing you see when you walk into the studio. It’s structural, so couldn’t be moved. The opposite side has long been a chalkboard, but I’ve painted the whole thing so now I have a multi sided place to scribble quotes that resonate at any one time. This one I found in the current (2nd issue) of Feel Free Magazine. A new favourite of mine.

My sink was supposed to get a white paint finish too, but I just can’t bring myself to paint it. My dear Mum and Dad made this for me. Mum designed it, Dad built it, then Mum painted it. Now that they are no longer here, I just can’t change it.

I did add my new drawing I finished a few days ago to the left here. I’m pretty happy with how it looks.

You would have seen this hutch many times. Again, Mum designed it, and Dad built it. It’s come with me from our move from NSW to Tasmania in 2003, and to both homes since then. It’s a very loved piece. It’s now a place to hold some of my Marley & Lockyer stock, where I can rearrange it whenever I feel. I’ve also added another of my drawings to the left. One thing that Leanne said to me is that my artwork, in all its forms need to be the only decoration in this space. It’s actually been really lovely to have them out of my art cases.

Another piece that’s been with me for many years, is this old sideboard. I was going to get rid of it, but the storage is great…so, I painted the glass doors to kind of look like an old Art Stores advertising that you’d often see in windows back in the 1800s to the 1900s. I do have to glue the bottom piece back on though.

Next to that is my new painting area. I now never have to pack away whatever I’m working on. This means that whenever the urge to paint, or draw, arises, I can just sit down and continue. I love it!!

My throwing area is now permanently set up too. I did give my wheel a coat of white paint today. Second coat tomorrow. My slab roller also got painted white. It was the same blue all over as you see on the wheel. Much better now it’s white. I had originally meant to not have any window treatments up, but I love the cozy feel it brings. Also, in Summer the sun coming through the windows would cook you. Anyway, Kodah is happy with her spot in front of the windows. I think she feels snuggly under the roller.

The fireplace is mostly the same. Fresh coat of white paint, and now a little gallery of some of my high school drawings and a drawing of my son when he was a toddler that was in a gallery for a woman’s art show. Some fairy lights and always candles in the bottom (until my pot belly stove gets installed) and we are done.

My office area through the door is yet to be tidied as I was wrapping orders today, but it is now where all the order processing happens. It used to be in this main area, and having it all together has been so much better.
Out the back room, where the kilns are, is where all the buckets of glaze, blocks of clay, the kilns and drying racks are all kept. That is a harder space to paint because it’s always in use, so I’ll have to wait for our yearly break to get that done.

It’s so nice to be in here now painting, drawing, writing, sewing, and making ceramics. I’ll be sharing my space with Lady Jo this weekend for her “Real Reels” workshop. It will be such a lovely, creative catch up.
mid love to hear what you think about the makeover.
Ness x

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A Church, A Workshop, and A Studio Redo

by Ness Lockyer

Well, here it is in all its cute glory….the Wee Church. I was so excited to see it come out of the kiln unscathed. It was a lot of work to get the structure right, and to get the drying time right – too quick and it would crack, but I managed to get it done thankfully! I will have a pre order available on these very soon. The pre orders will be done in small batches, just because of the amount of work that goes into each one.

The studio redo is in full swing. This wall here got a beautiful texture this week just gone, and it is now ready for the next stage. This is obviously the before, as I was moving things out so the wall could be done. The split system will be staying because let’s face it, I am in Tasmania and our winters can be quite cold, and our summer sun can be brutal.

Here is a little peek at the texture all in its lovely whitewashed glory. Once the space is completed I will show you a shot of the whole thing.
The old fluorescent lighting (which I’ve always hated) came down today, and replaced with some new down lights. I tend to only use the beautiful natural light that floods the space, but some days in the depths on winter lights are needed. I’m just thankful those ugly fluoro lights are history!

My big old double worktables will be on the move, and they are getting a fresh coat of paint. This little post wall is a structural piece that runs electrics through, so wasn’t on the plan to be moved. I love drawing on this wall, so it made sense to keep it. Fresh coat of chalkboard paint on both side will expand my doodling area.

There is a lot going on, and I can’t wait to get it finished. All of this has given me this amazing urge to create again. I had been in a nit of a funk with my Dads recent passing, so this has really helped me cope with it all. Art in any form is such a therapy session!

Once the studio is complete, I will be hosting a workshop in it for this beautiful human. If you don’t know of Lady Jo, she is a force of nature, completely brilliant, and is an amazing teacher of all things Reels. Check out her Instagram to see some of the amazing workshops for Reels she has already taught, including one at one of my favourite designers, Lynda Gardeners home!
I for one am so looking forward to this workshop as I really want to learn more about making reels and videos. It’s such a way forward for social media, and whether you like them or not, it’s something as a business owner or content creator that you definitely need to learn. So, I’m super excited about this workshop, and catching up with Jo.
Tickets were only launched this morning and you can purchase one here.

So, as you can see, the studio is in no shape to reveal just yet, but as Leanne Ford said to me recently “it has to get worse before it can get better”.

Talk soon ~ Ness x

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Exciting Studio News With Leanne Ford

by Ness Lockyer

There has been a quiet buzz of excitement in the studio over the past few months, that has built to a roaring hum this past week as I got the studio cleaned, and worked on design mood boards and layouts for the space.

I had an amazing meeting with one of my favourite designers, Leanne Ford yesterday morning, and it was amazing. If you don’t know who Leanne is, she is a whirlwind of creative energy that designs the most beautiful spaces around the world, designs a line of gorgeous furniture and homewares for Crate & Barrel, and has had a few interiors shows, including Home Again With The Fords, that she co hosts with her talented brother, Steve.

I have been wanting to re do the studio for a while now, as it had started to look like a full production ceramics studio, and as much as I love ceramics, I don’t love the messy look it can bring- buckets everywhere, clay all over the place, and so on. I don’t only make ceramics – I also paint, draw, sew, teach, do calligraphy and chalkboard art and more, so it needs to be a functional space that serves the purpose of all of my many hats. I need to be able to move easily between each talent depending on how the creative bug is biting that day.

That’s where Leanne Ford comes in! She looked over my crazy inspiration collages, and my photos for the studio and brand, and helped me to work out a way to get this space singing for me. We spoke about layout, lighting, palettes, functional spaces, my art and design, how the studio works day to day, storage and so much more. I was absolutely humming with excitement with all the changes.

This was one of the mood boards I sent through in my brief for Leanne to look at before our meeting, as well as a few others, and some of the studio as it currently is.

So, changes that I’ll be making straight up will be paint, lighting, and furniture layout. One e that is done, I’ll be able to implement some more changes. I’ll be documenting it all here, because let’s face it…it’s Leanne Ford, and when she tells you that you need to paint and play about with a space, you crack on with it!
Stay tuned! I’m so excited.
~ Ness x

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The Cottage Bowl

It’s been ages, hasn’t it?

by Ness Lockyer

The Cottage Collection

It’s been a while between posts. We’ve had a a lot going on here over the last while. The main one being my dear Dads ill health, and his recent passing. It’s hit my family and I like tonne of bricks. Even thought he had been unwell for 4 and a half years, I still can’t fathom that he is gone. So, I’ve been lacking motivation, my spark that I normally have.
My Dad would want me to get back into creating – he was one of my main supporters, along with my Mum- always providing me with new artistic things to have a go at, and always telling me “don’t follow the rules. Find your own way. It’s a natural gift you have”. I’m so thankful for that, and I have been making a real effort to push through this funk I’m in.

The first place I started, was my sketchbooks. I have so, so many of these in my cupboards, and files. Each one full of quick sketches and ideas I may randomly get. They go back as far as my school days, and it’s a treasure trove to me when I’m stuck in a creative rut. I can always re spark some idea I had, and then turn it into something else. So, I flicked through these particular sketchbooks from my stash, and tried a few things out. Some are currently in the kiln, some still drying, and some I have released and are already sitting in peoples homes being used and loved each day.

The Cottage Bowl

The Cottage Collection was one of the things to come from those sketches. The response to the collection, especially these Cottage Bowls, has been amazing! I thank you for that.

Little Star Latte Mugs. Marley & Lockyer
Botanical Pie Dish- Marley & Lockyer

Some other pieces I have been making are the Little Star Latte Mugs, that come in three different versions, as well as these Botanical Pie Dishes. I love the texture in the floral design on these ones.
I feel like there are a million things to catch up on here, but I won’t go through everything. I’ve got something exciting happening at the end of March, and I’m looking forward to sharing that soon.

I have been looking at getting back into blogging more, and updating my newsletter each week again. I signed up to Substack, which if you don’t know what that is, it is a subscription based blog basically. So, the reader can follow their favourites, and pay a subscription fee to read the blog posts. The author can put some free reads in here and there, it the main content is only for paid subscribers. Lots of people have switched over to that because Instagram is making it harder and harder for small businesses to be seen….but I don’t know where my head is at with a “pay to read” situation. What are your thoughts. I would LOVE to hear them.

Talk soon, Ness x

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Christmas has finally arrived at the farmhouse

by Ness Lockyer

Finally, my favourite time of year is here. I wasn’t as organised as I usually am with decorating for the season, as we have been painting our living and dining spaces here at the farm. It does feel nice to have the trees up and the carols going. This little nook here in our kitchen has become a favourite place to sit while I’m cooking dinner.

In the kitchen I’ve added a garland on our old recycled wood shelf, and a little tree in the corner. Some fairy lights give this space the most wonderful glow in the evenings. The Christmas baking has started, and I’ll currently testing out some shortbread recipes from the beautiful Scottish cookbook,

Aran – by Flora Shedden

My trusty Wreath Mixing Bowl has been getting a workout, along with the newest member to the mixing bowl range for Marley & Lockyer, the Homestead Bowl

Above the door into the kitchen, I’ve hung some garlands and more fairy lights. It’s a nice transition from kitchen to our living space.

My new tree that arrived early in the week has become my most favourite of them all. I’ve always loved the trees you get in Scotland, and Europe, and this tree is perfect. I’ve had so many requests about where I got it from too. It is from Harrods in the UK. I didn’t want to overdo the decorations on this tree, so I kept it simple with some silver, gold, and glass baubles along with my own ceramic decorations, snowflakes and some gorgeous velvet ribbon from Europe in a grey/silver tone…of course with lots of fairy lights too.

Our main tree in the living room is full of all of decorations I’ve made and collected over the years since our boys were born. Every year I buy 4 decorations, and when our children get their own trees, they will get each of their decorations I’ve been collecting to take a little bit of home with them. The tree and garlands look so good against our new dark wall in here. I’m planning on putting a wreath on this wall, but I’ll wait a little bit longer.

Last Christmas I was given this sweet little snow lantern which lights up and the snow moves around that creates the most beautiful shadows on the wall at night. I’ve been waiting all year to plug it in! It’s sitting next to one of my plain ceramic crowns and a Wee Hoose that I’ve filled with tea lights for more ambiance.

Mic and I have been going non stop to get the Custom Calligraphy Stars made and posted out, and the cut off date for Christmas delivery is tomorrow, Sunday the 4th. You will still be able to order after this point, but they won’t be guaranteed to arrive in time for Christmas due to delivery delays with the post.

Tomorrow night will be the final update of this years Clootie Dumpling Christmas Candle too. I’ll be updating them in the shop at 7pm, Sydney time. There will be both sizes available, and the small ones will be in the same pattern and colour as the large candle, seen here.

Yay to the Christmas season!
~ Ness x

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