Hello, my name is Annemieke Boots and I am a self-taught ceramic artist based in Italy and Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Being a very visual person, I am inspired by nature – the textures, the shapes – the city, items I own, or images from my favorite magazines, books, and even talks. These impressions start to take shape in my head, giving me a certain image and feel. Sometimes I put this into a sketch, but it usually takes shape when I’m behind the pottery wheel.

I feel very at home in the ‘slow movement’, conscious living and an appreciation for details; enjoying the small things in daily life. Ceramics is a slow paced art. You can’t rush clay, it takes time and attention to shape it, dry it, fire it, glaze it, fire it some more and then finish it.

Clay is a fascinating material, it makes me happy. I love the texture in my hands. It brings me closer to the essence of my being. Hand forming or throwing clay on the wheel is like meditation to me.

I work mostly with stoneware, sometimes with porcelain. I am interested in exploring the infinite possibilities that the material offer; the capabilities of the material, the possible shapes and the resulting effects from the glazes. Important to me is to let the clay speak, to show the texture and colour in the final product, by keeping the surface of a final product raw or partly glazed.

My creations come from the heart, they occur from within. Firstly I create for myself but when others appreciate my work my happiness is complete. My being, my soul, my feelings are within the ceramics I make. The purpose of my ceramics is to increase the pleasure and taste of drinking and eating for others or to smooth the eye while looking at it.

Simplicity is the keyword. I do not strive to perfection but to purity, to the essence of the clay and myself.