Field Pottery On Using Clay As An Outlet To Express Creativity And Their Love For Nature
Amidst their busy lives as working professionals, Natalie Cheung and Darren Cheng use pottery to express their interests with unrestrained freedom.
By Nicole Ng - published
Pottery exists where form and function meet, according to 32-year-old architectural designer Natalie Cheung and 34-year-old philanthropic advisor Darren Cheng, the couple and creative forces behind local small-batch pottery studio Field Pottery.
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Natalie Cheung (in her own outfit) and Darren Cheng (in a Loro Piana shirt and his own trousers and shoes) with their adopted Singapore Special, Maggie, in their home studio.
The duo are setting out to challenge what a simple ball of clay can become, transforming minerals from the earth that formed millions of years ago into shapes found in nature. Their Deep Sea Dive pieces, for one, are at once tiny vases and objets d’art covered in various textures that echo the fossils found on artefacts recovered from deep sea expeditions.
Field Pottery’s new ‘chairs’ board displayed alongside pieces from their Deep Sea Dive collection.
But rather than replicating natural elements such as tree roots and rocks to mathematical precision, Cheung and Cheng’s approach to their craft is much more intuitive, absorbing the beauty and emotions evoked from organic material before translating its essence into their work.
What is unique about pottery that allows you to express creativity in the way you want to?
Cheng at the wheel.
Darren (D): To me, pottery strikes a good balance between complete creative freedom and limitations you have to work around, such as the nature of clay or your own technical shortcomings. There’s a deep satisfaction that comes with figuring out how to translate an idea in your head into physical form.
Cheung working on a new piece.
Natalie (N): Pottery feels like a more forgiving medium for me, especially in contrast to my day job, where everything is defined by lines, dimensions, codes, limitations and expectations. Clay starts as a simple ball and can become anything I want, however I want—that’s what makes it such a great outlet for me.
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What inspires you?
Cheng and Cheung carve out nooks (such as their attic, shown here) in their Joo Chiat home for their various creative pursuits—design, craft and music.
N: A lot of inspiration comes from everyday life and memories of home. The idea of fossilised fish bones on a plate, for example, came from a childhood memory of eating fish cooked by my grandmother and reaching the bones at the bottom of the plate. It also comes from moments like spotting a barnacle-covered brick along the shore at East Coast Park when Darren and I were out on a picnic.
How do you translate elements from your inspirations into your pieces?
N: It’s probably more subconscious than intentional. It’s less about mimicking nature and more about us absorbing textures, forms and feelings over time. That said, we do enjoy drawing out their tactility by playing with the contrast between glazed and unglazed surfaces, carving into the clay or building up irregular bumps.
A collection of work inspired by nature and archaeology.
How do you merge your creative differences to create a cohesive voice for Field Pottery?
N: Interestingly, while our sensibilities and preferences differ slightly, there’s a natural cohesion in how we work together. Our instincts tend to align, and even our quirks feel complementary. We often gravitate towards similar glazes, palettes and textures.
D: Many of our pieces also tread a fine line between function and form. We especially enjoy when people ask us what a particular piece is used for and we don’t really have an answer for them. Field Pottery has always been less about technical mastery and more about creating space for experimentation and expression, and I think that naturally comes through in our work.
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You’ve just come out of a year-long hiatus. What’s next for Field Pottery?
D: We’re currently developing new pieces for Aa Furniture’s art market, which will take place sometime in November this year. They’re one of our favourite homeware and furniture curators, so it feels especially meaningful to be showing our work alongside them.
Shop Field Pottery’s pieces on its Instagram page (@fieldpottery) or at pop-up events.
Art Direction: Alice Chua
Photography: Isabelle Seah
Styling: Gracia Phang
Makeup: Rina Sim using YSL Beauty
Hair: Grego using Revlon Professional