Supatra Marsh was working as a biologist in Singapore when she found a pottery studio near to where she and her partner, Paul, lived.
Needing to scratch a creative itch, they signed up for evening classes and unlocked a real love for making ceramics. Three years later, Supatra no longer spends her days researching skin amid the high rise of a southeast Asian city. Instead, she is creating ceramics in her purpose-built studio in rural Suffolk.
'I wanted to do it while I was in Singapore but as we were working there was no time,' she says. Ironically, it was Covid which gave Supatra an opportunity; the pandemic prompted the couple's return to the UK. At first they stayed with parents in the Midlands before finding their own house.
Knowing the time was right to make a career switch, they wanted somewhere with enough land for a small pottery studio, preferably in a rural setting, and found it at Culford, near Bury St Edmunds. Here they started Blank Earth, with Supatra creating original, unique work, while Paul has taken on the role of business manager, which he combines with a regular job, occasionally helping out in the studio.
While it's hard to imagine a more contrasting career – or lifestyle – Supatra finds some common elements with her scientific background. 'There's a lot of chemistry in the mixing of glazes and the firing process,' she says, 'and my science knowledge is really useful.' Indeed, her science work has always existed alongside art; she recalls an exhibition she organised to communicate the findings of a scientific project though art.
Blank Earth is founded on a passion for traditionally made artisanal crafts, which she loves for their uniqueness and authenticity, as well as their enduring qualities. 'It’s important to me that my ceramics are beautiful and functional, and made to last, so that people can treasure them for years to come.'
Supatra's core collection is a range of homeware designed for everyday use – plates, bowls, dishes, mugs, vases, plant pots, ring holders, candle holders, pet bowls, even a citrus juicer. Each piece is handmade to order, so buyers can choose the colours they like and add personal touches, such as names and initials.
Her signature ceramics are the charming little cottages she creates for incense cones and wax melts. Supatra carefully hand-carves them from clay using the traditional Japanese kurinuki technique which she learnt in Asia. A slow process, it starts with a solid block of clay and results in a hollowed out shape, in this case, a cube which Supatra fashions into English rustic houses, each one totally unique with its own character.
They're inspired by real-life homes – she will also make bespoke houses – and intended to be functional, but they're also keepsakes which can become family heirlooms. Themed Botanical, Seaside, and Lace, the cottages are decorated with pressed foliage, shells, and vintage lace, while her stone cottages feature raw clay with embedded slate.
Supatra sells via her online as well as through events such as the craft weekends at Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham, in the weeks before Christmas. Every couple of months throughout the year she holds Kiln Openings when she releases her most recent work via her website. To find out more go to blankearth.co.uk
