The Mood Designs
Inspired by the sea and landscape of Ireland
We came to Ireland on holiday in 2006 and were so taken with the friendly people, the beautiful scenery, and the quality of life that we decided to move there! We were always interested in creativity, specifically crafts and music. In 2010 we decided to open a craft shop called The Mood Gallery, not just for our own creations, which were jewelry at the time, but to accommodate all like-minded artistic people in the area. The experience of meeting creative people, selling their products and talking to customers gave us food for thought. I always have lots of ideas running through my mind for different crafts and products, and one day I bought a bag of clay and started to play with different forms and shapes. I had a friend who kindly fired my stuff in their kiln so I could experiment, and I learned a lot about this art form.
After much contemplation, we both attended a pottery and ceramics course in Galway. During the course, we were particularly taken with the hand-building of ceramics as opposed to pottery, which is thrown on a wheel. This was the key which opened the door to our ceramics business, and it is in this field that we have continued to work and develop our own style.
We didn’t plan to set up a ceramic business. We thought it could be our new hobby, something we could enjoy together. It was only a few months after the course when we made our first few bowls mirroring the Irish Sea and landscape and added pictures of them on our Facebook page. The very next day, we had a query from a local shop asking if we could supply them with those sea bowls! After doing a few craft fairs and thinking about the future and direction of our business, we decided to convert an old horse shed into our studio.
Our home and studio are surrounded by much of the scenery which inspires our work. Croagh Patrick lies to the west of us. Curving round the north of Clew Bay are the Hills of Achill, their colours changing with the seasons. This stunning scenery inspires most of our ideas which we incorporate into our ceramics; the mountains are reflected in the shape of the bowls and our unique glaze and use of glass mirrors the colours we see around us.
Ceramics is not only a hobby for us, it’s a way of life that we love. We are honoured to be able to spread our interpretations of Irish beauty to other craft-enthusiasts and nature lovers.