Former Jersey College for Girls student and Jersey born ceramicist Solomia Zoumaras left the island and moved to the UK to study art & design. After a change of heart in her first year of a furniture and product design degree, Solomia decided to move to Bath where she completed a BA in Ceramics. In 2006, Solomia won first prize in the Jersey Telecoms Student Art Prize and gained a commission by Coopers & Co in association with Jersey Pottery and since then hasn?t looked back. Now living in London, the ?Master of Plaster? is now in the middle of further studies in Ceramics at the Royal College Of Art.
Firstly, why the move to london – am i right in thinking you?ve been here for a number of years now?
Yes I moved after I graduated and because of winning the student award I was receiving interest with my work and I knew I was capable of pursuing this as a career. I was given the opportunity to run a ceramic studio in the heart of Hackney. Over the last three years of setting up the business, Solomia, I have been exhibiting in trade shows such as Pulse and Top Drawer and retail shows such as Origin and Ceramic Art, London. London is a great place for pushing your work mainstream, it just offers a wider social network of people and opportunities arise from it.
What kind of clients would buy from you?
My work falls in both an art and a design category. Darkroom, Paul Smith, Southbank Centre and Modern Art Oxford are my main stockists.
I have been featured in Elle Decoration, Living etc, Homes & Gardens and the Financial Times. I was recently nominated for Best British Designer 2010 for Elle Decoration and I was shortlisted for the Ceramic & Glassware Award 2011 for Homes & Garden designer.
You?re currently in the middle of completing an ma at the royal college of art ? how?s that going and what are you working on at the moment?
It?s going really well; I?m at the Royal College of Art. They really push you to maximize your potential and your strengths. I feel very fortunate to be given this opportunity to work alongside other creative people in the same environment as me.
Solomia is currently showcasing new design work at Designers Guild, Kings Road. More information about her work can be found at www.solomia.co.uk
