Describe your profession, with details on products, services, expertise and know how.
My name is Andreas Kattos and I am a ceramist with 50 years of experience. I create clay sculptures and pottery products.
I first crossed paths with ceramics craft in 1973 in Famagusta at the technical school and started my education in Athens in ceramist school in 1974. I worked in several shops in Athens and in 1979 I started working in the Cyprus Handicraft Service of the Republic at the department of ceramics. In 1990 I created my own ceramics shop where I practice my craft and at the same time I teach the ceramic craft to interested people.
What materials do you use? Where and how you purchase them?
I use Stoneware clay and it is imported from Europe. Manufactured according to energy and water-efficiency criteria, porcelain stoneware is an environmentally friendly choice due to its long-lasting and recyclable features. Its production is “zero waste”, based on the use of natural and always reusable materials. The type of clay is chosen by each craftsman according to their needs, creative process and final product.
Describe the techniques, the tools and the materials you use in your work.
The techniques mostly used by me is pottery and sculpture.
Pottery made by professional and amateur artists or artisans working alone or in small groups, making unique items or short runs. Typically, all stages of manufacture are carried out by the artists themselves. Studio pottery includes functional wares such as tableware and cookware, and non-functional wares such as sculpture, with vases and bowls covering the middle ground, often being used only for display. Studio potters can be referred to as ceramic artists, ceramists, ceramicists or as an artist who uses clay as a medium.
A material is formed into shape by the artist, and the object is fired in a kiln or otherwise heated by fire to cure and harden. The topics explored in ceramic sculpture are widely varied, and the tactile process of molding clay by hand or with tools allows for a diverse range of styles and subjects.
The tools used can include daily used cutlery, self-made tools for specific use and market tools for pottery and sculpting. Pottery doesn’t require specific innovation and only the furnace and wheel are upgraded when needed.
What is your “ideal” client’s profile?
At this point the market of this craft targets tourists who wish to take with them a piece of the image and history of the ceramics art/craft.
At what age and under what circumstances did you start this job?
Where and how long have you been trained before you were ready to start your own business? In a training institute, with a craftsman or both? What do you think is the best way to learn your job today? Schools, training with craftsmen …?
What role do «talent» and «creativity» play in your profession?
And what about innovation, what are the changes since you started? Do you use new materials, tools, or processes in manufacturing and marketing? What is the impact of innovation on your performance? How could your profession be even more innovative?
What is the best way to learn your profession?
What is your message to younger generations who might choose your profession?
Ceramic craft being the first art presented and developed in the world can always be a gateway to creativity and work therapy. Most of all, young people who want to start this craft must love the creative process.
