Catalina Parra
Love love love Catalina’s work - aka Base Ceramics - I worked with her in 2021 collaborating with Arddun Stores, a concession store in Harvey Nichols on a Ceramics Edit. I have one of her beautiful vases from that collaboration (pictured below). Since then her work has gone from strength to strength and her bold colourful style is just fabulous in my opinion. Read on to find out more about her.
Who are you?
I’m Catalina Parra, a Colombian architect who moved to New York in 2011 and now proudly calls this city home. After a few years of making ceramics as an after-work activity, I decided to start my own studio in 2019 and now I happily get my hands dirty full-time!
Very hard to pick a favourite…
Why do you also have a thing with ceramics?
I love how versatile ceramics are. They can be anything from a building material to the cup you use for your morning coffee. Playing with clay allows me to create everyday objects that bring joy, and the possibilities feel endless. Which means I’ll probably never run out of ideas!
When did ceramics come into your life?
I lived on the same block as a ceramics studio, so I started taking classes around 2013 when I was looking for something to do besides sitting in front of a computer all day at my office job. But it wasn’t until 2018, when I learned slip casting, that everything clicked with my design background. There was no looking back after that!
One day I plan to visit Brooklyn with an empty suitcase and a lot of bubble wrap…
Where can we find you on a typical day?
In my Bushwick studio! You can find me there pretty much every day. Weekends off? If time allows! 😂
What are your plans for the future?
My plan is to keep exploring and creating new things in ceramics and beyond! Making furniture and larger objects is a dream, so scaling up is definitely a goal. But most importantly, I want to build a financially sustainable studio that challenges me creatively while still bringing me joy :)
The Optimism vase by Catalina from 2021
