Melanie van der Donk studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in her early twenties and worked as a stage designer at some of the most significant German-speaking theatres in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. During that time, she became fascinated by the work of the famous ceramicist Jan Bontjes van Beek. Decades later, in 2009, and encouraged by her grandmother’s advanced age of 101, Melanie started an apprenticeship in order to pursue a new profession during her second half century – she began studying ceramics at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. She opened her workshop in 2014 and now specialises in large vessels, shaped on the potter’s wheel and decorated with glazes she develops herself.
Read the full interviewPhoto: © Melanie Van der Donk
This wheel thrown vase was created with chamotte clay made in Westerwald, Germany. It was glazed with a mixture of Melanie’s own recipe and fired in a neutral, oxidizing atmosphere at 1243°C to 1257°C. To develop her collections of large vases, Melanie focuses on the relationship between the different vases in terms of their shapes, textures and colours.
Photo: © Melanie Van der Donk
This wheel thrown vase was created with white chamotte clay made in Westerwald, Germany. It was glazed with a mixture of Melanie’s own recipe and fired in a neutral, oxidizing atmosphere at 1243°C to 1257°C. To develop her collections of large vases, Melanie focuses on the relationship between the different pieces in terms of their shapes, textures and colours.
Height 48.5 cm
Width 47 cm
Photo: © Melanie Van der Donk
This wheel thrown vase was created with lilac chamotte clay made in Westerwald, Germany. It was glazed with a mixture of Melanie’s own recipe and fired in a neutral, oxidizing atmosphere at 1243°C to 1257°C. To develop her collections of large vases, Melanie focuses on the relationship between the different pieces in terms of their shapes, textures and colours.
Height 36.2 cm
Width 45 cm
Photo: © Melanie Van der Donk
This wheel thrown vase was created with lilac chamotte clay made in Westerwald, Germany. It was glazed with a mixture of Melanie’s own recipe and fired in a neutral, oxidizing atmosphere at 1243°C to 1257°C. To develop her collections of large vases, Melanie focuses on the relationship between the different pieces in terms of their shapes, textures and colours.
Height 48.7 cm
Width 35.3 cm
Photo: © Melanie Van der Donk
This wheel thrown vase was created with lilac chamotte clay made in Westerwald, Germany. It was glazed with a mixture of Melanie’s own recipe and fired in a neutral, oxidizing atmosphere at 1243°C to 1257°C. To develop her collections of large vases, Melanie focuses on the relationship between the different pieces in terms of their shapes, textures and colours.
Height 44.5 cm
Width 36 cm
Michelangelo Foundation
Homo Faber
