The fifth maker in this series makes things she’d want in her own home. Brittney Kleyn is the ceramicist behind Kleyn Ceramics, working from Our Space, a community studio in Brisbane. Her work ranges from cups, plates and vases to larger sculptural pieces, all bold colour and simple shapes. It’s serious craft that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s exactly the point.
Where it started
Brit came to clay sideways. She was working as a TV news reporter when two of her favourite people opened a pottery studio, and she signed up for a class to show her support. “That first class, it was love at first sight,” she says. “Or should I say feel?” She’s quick to add that she wasn’t a natural. But she kept coming back, every spare moment she had. “I love that pottery forced me to slow down and be present with what I was doing.”
The business grew without a plan. She posted her pieces online with no intention of selling them, until a boutique in Sydney asked if they could buy some. Brit later left the job she’d once dreamed of to start a family, and Kleyn Ceramics really took off during her pregnancy. Now she makes around her 18-month-old daughter, Florence. “It still doesn’t feel like work.”
The bag lady
Brit started out throwing exclusively on the wheel. It was during pregnancy that she began hand building, and her work turned playful. These days she uses a mix of techniques, and her signature has earned her a nickname among other ceramicists: the bag lady.
“I love blending bold colour, simple shapes and playful composition to reimagine everyday objects in clay.” Food, fashion and interiors are where she looks for ideas, the things that spark joy in daily life.
That clarity is why she turns down most commissions. “I feel like the clay knows when my heart’s not in it, and I won’t create things that don’t align with my vision.”
One full day a week
Brit protects at least one full production day a week at Our Space, where she took her first class. Every day looks different: throwing, trimming, hand building, mixing glaze. “I barely stop for lunch and often arrive at daycare pickup covered in clay.”
The fine underglaze work happens at home, during naps and late nights once Florence is asleep. “I love putting my headphones in and hand building an intricate piece. Time doesn’t exist when you’re in the studio.”
A whole bunch of hobbies in one
Part of what keeps Brit hooked is how much there is to learn. “Ceramics is one art form you could never tire of, because it’s a whole bunch of hobbies in one.” Building the piece, firing it, decorating it. She’s started making her own glazes too. “It’s chemistry, would you believe?”
Letting go
Clay is temperamental, and that has taught Brit not to hold on too tightly. “Nonattachment is a big one. Things can go wrong, for even the most experienced ceramicists, at any point in the process.” Pieces get knocked. Pieces get dropped. “Once that piece is in the kiln, there’s not much more you can do other than lean into the outcome.”
Sometimes the mistake becomes the work. One of her favourite pieces, a wall-hanging bag, exists because a handle got knocked off. “I decided to roll with it.”
What the clay gives back
Ask Brit what working with her hands gives her and the answer is one word: stillness. “My mind usually has 100-plus tabs open. Clay takes no prisoners, so it forces you to be hyper focused. It keeps my hands busy while allowing my mind to be still.”
As for what she wears to work, the requirements are practical. “Comfort is key, but I also love clothes and expressing my creativity through what I wear.” Her collection of overalls keeps growing. “I gave up on aprons a long time ago.”
“My aim is to make beautiful things for people who appreciate art that isn’t created to be taken too seriously.”
This is what The Makers is about: not the finished vase on the shelf, but the stolen studio day, the knocked-off handle, the hands that stay busy so the mind can rest.
You can follow Brit’s work at @kleynceramics or see more on her website, kleynceramics.com. And keep an eye out: more Makers are coming.
Brit is wearing the Charlie Overalls in Burnt Brick throughout the shoot. Shop the Charlie Overalls.
The Makers is a joint series between Geneva Vanderzeil and Collective Gen, celebrating the women who make for a living.
