I like thinking about clay as a material culture from the past. For me, sculpting things out of clay is in a really primitive sense, a way to hold history.

- Lucy McMillan

Artist and potter Lucy McMillan is inspired by agateware, a 17th century pottery process. It’s name refers to the marbleised and striated patterns of the semi-precious stones that it was emulating.

"My pieces are all handbuilt, either from slab or press moulds. After the clay has been hand rolled, I layer and sometimes whittle to create facets, collage, inlay or engrave when they are leather hard. Each piece shows my hand. I come to pottery through a painting practice so I focus a lot on developing my palette of clays and ways to create line. I use locally sourced stoneware clay that I hand stain and fire at cone 6 using my own handmade clear glazes.

I work across a range of applications. I make tableware, sculpture, furniture and tiles in my studio in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Aotearoa NZ."

Endean House by Jesse Oliver

Designer Jesse Oliver renovated one of the heritage Endeans apartments. He wanted the kitchen to have a unique sculptural element. He commissioned Studio Lucy McMillan to create a splash back to be playful against the black stained oak cabinetry.