In the Studio with Nonna Hall

August 01, 2024

Can you tell us about your journey into ceramics? How did it all begin for you?

After moving from Moscow to the US and once I had become comfortable with my English (my second language), I wanted to learn everything I could about pottery. I was eager to learn, I was so fascinated by how something completely unique could be made from the lump of mud. It all started in 2007 with a gift certificate for a pottery class from my husband, who knew that it was my dream to work with clay.

It was love at first touch, but my serious connection started about three years later. I was very inspired by a show of Lucie Rie’s pottery in Phillips Gallery in Manhattan around 2009-2010. I knew at that moment that I’d never stop working with clay. I started to teach pottery classes shortly after that. I enjoyed it so much – teaching brought me the confidence as well as the motivation to learn more techniques for myself and for my students. It gave me some structure and discipline.

Where are you from? Did your background influence your choice of medium?

I was born in what is now Turkmenistan, but my family moved to Siberia when I was still a child. I moved to Moscow to study Psychology. I’ve always been fascinated by ceramics and paid attention to the different styles and designs even within different Soviet Republics. Growing up, our old teapots and kitchenware were from Central Asia where I was born. Pitchers and wine bottles from Georgia and Armenia were always fascinating to me. And all memories of dishes and other items from old Russian summer homes and villages that I visited created a collective influence in my mind. I wanted to create something with my own hands that could be used and admired generations later.

What are your sources of inspiration? How do most pieces begin?

Most of my work is inspired by Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Central Asian styles (which is especially visible in my teapots and bottles) as well as by my childhood growing up in Russia. In other pieces, you can see that the inspiration is just my own imagination. I love flipping through books that have pictures of ancient Mediterranean kitchenware, interior decor, etc.

At what point did you also become a teacher? How has teaching informed your craft?

While I was in a community studio in Manhattan, I was so inspired by the creative and talented people around me. I’ve always been motivated to learn new things and was soon offered the chance to teach wheel and hand-building classes. Sharing my knowledge with other people always pushes my own boundaries and helps me to grow in my own work. That experience at the community studio planted a very big seed inside me – I knew I wanted to create my own brand of ceramics, something that would be uniquely mine. Another part of that seed was that I needed my own space, where I could display my work and show art created by my friends who have inspired me.

When did you start working on lighting? Doing commissions?

I started to “play” with fixtures for lighting – lamps, chandeliers, etc, as soon as I became a little more comfortable with clay and got excited that I could start to make things that I want. I made my first lamp around 2013 and have been making a style of pendant lights for a while. I’ve taken some workshops on making lamps. One of my closest friends encouraged me to focus on table lamps, and we were trying to create some pretty unique pieces that unfortunately haven’t found homes yet, but I learned so much from the process and started to accept commissions from some designers.

Sometimes the project will be designed by the buyers, other times it will be a collaborative process. And of course I take great pleasure when designers trust my creative process, ideas, and experience. However, my very first commission wasn’t a light fixture. It was a huge platter with a replica of some very interesting and old Greek motifs on it. It was a very challenging process, but my client loved it.

What’s your favorite item to make?

I really enjoy making teapots. When I make parts for a teapot I’m playing in my head how I can make it unique, what kind of base it should have, the shape of the lid, the angle for the spout. Even if I have a sketch of the shape, I’m always thinking about how to make it unique. I’d make some extra spouts, lids, handles, and different bodies for the teapots and then “play” with them – the process is calming.

We know you have a friendly relationship with Andrew Kline – how did you two meet? How did you begin collaborating with each other?

Life is absolutely better and more inspiring with people like Andrew. We met in the Catskills, where my husband and I moved in 2015. Andrew stopped by my studio with a couple of friends and we started to talk like we knew each other for ages. Eventually, Andrew joined the studio – I was teaching him some techniques on the pottery wheel. He already had some experience with clay, but he was really excited to dig in deep and practice more. He’s since become a studio member and loves to come and practice when he has time.

We often discuss ideas about how certain project/pieces could be done. And when he offered me the chance to collaborate on light fixtures and on installation, I was flattered and thrilled.

Could you describe the process of collaborating with Workshop/APD on pieces for Faraway Martha’s Vineyard and Straight Wharf Fish?

First of all, I was very flattered that the team at WAPD entrusted me with these projects. The process of collaboration when creating something unique is not fast. I always make a few demos first before committing to a final product. But even then, I will make some extra pieces just in case something goes awry during the glazing/firing process. Clay is not an easy medium, and it remembers everything you do to it. It might break or crack during any stage of the process (drying, firing, second firing, etc). The glazing process might not be satisfying sometimes. Gratefully, with years of experience, I pretty much know what I’m doing, but still – clay is a very humbling material and reminds you to be patient. When I was creating the light fixtures, it was very helpful to know what kinds of shapes the designers were thinking of having in certain rooms. I made some of them in almost that exact style, but for other pieces I introduced my own touch of details, which seemed liked worked well with the interiors. I’m dreaming of visiting these two places (Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard) to see my work.

At Workshop/APD we talk a lot about the hand of the maker. Would you say you have your own signature look or feel? How would you describe it?

I do think I have my signature look, shape, and feel. My pieces are usually simple in shape, but I do enjoy creating texture and soft forms. Even though I like to use some vibrant colors sometime, my work is done mostly in earthy tones and textures.