Fernanda Pompermayer at Café com Fika: Experiments at Studio Rocha

Fernanda Pompermayer is the artist and designer behind Studio Rocha, a space where she channels her creativity and passion for ceramics. With a background in design and experience in sculpture, photography, video and painting, Fernanda discovered in ceramics a way to bring ideas to life. Her most recent work flirts with sculpture, maintaining a balance between vases and lamps that reflect her artistic path.

The studio's creative process is marked by the search for new possibilities and the appreciation of the tactile experience provided by ceramics. Studio Rocha (@studio.rochaa) is a space where imagination takes shape, and the pieces created by Fernanda are true works of art that uniquely relate color, maximalism and gestural expression.

Registered by @studio.rochaa and @raphael_dias.

How was Studio Rocha born and what inspires your current work?

Studio Rocha was born out of my desire to explore new forms of expression during the pandemic. As a designer, I already had experience in the area, but it was during this period that I returned to Brazil and had the opportunity to work with clay for the first time.

When experimenting with this material, I realized that it allowed me a more intense graphic expression, awakening in me the desire to create collages and textures. The name "Rocha" came about as a reference to rock formations and minerals that resembled the style of my own work. This journey led me to explore the creation of physical objects, moving away from the digital environment I was used to working in.

Pottery has become a close friend, allowing me to create tangible and decorative objects for my home, as well as providing a tactile experience.

Can you tell us about the technique applied on your pieces?

I don't remember exactly how I got to this technique. During the pandemic, I started working with ceramics in a beach house, with limited resources at my disposal. I carried out small experiments with the materials I had at hand and, at some point, I discovered that I could create collage-like textures that reminded me of rock formations that inspired the name of the studio (Rocha means rock, in portuguese).

The final result cannot be predicted, it is a practice that allows me to explore many creative possibilities. Ceramics, in general, offer infinite patterns and textures, even if you have no control over the process.

Can you tell us a little about your creative process?

My creative process is very fluid and experimental. After mastering the creation of vases, I began to explore the idea of developing lamps, which fascinate me for their impact on the atmosphere of an environment. As I am also a photographer and work with light, so I wanted to create luminous pieces that challenged my skill and required more detailed planning.

Although I do some initial planning, I allow a lot of things to happen during the creative process. I am open to experimentation and embrace mistakes as part of the journey. For example, I have pieces that I put back in the kiln to observe how they transform, giving the pottery space to reveal its unpredictable nature.

I recently had an experience where a vase broke completely. Instead of scrapping it, I decided to glue the parts together and add extra elements. Surprisingly, I loved the final result much more than the initial idea. I learned to take advantage of the unforeseen and discovered that these transformations can lead to even more interesting results.

Also, I make it a point to make the most of all available resources. Even ceramic waste is reused in some way, ensuring that everything is put to good use.

What else did you learn with this process?

In addition to ceramics and photography, I have also been exploring painting on canvas recently, and experimentation is present in all these forms of expression. What fascinates me is understanding how materials flow and learn how to flow with them.

Working with plaster and clay gives me limited time to make decisions before the piece starts to dry. It challenges me to let go of control and accept that not everything can be completely planned. Normally, I like to have control over many aspects of my life, including photography, where I try to control lighting, editing and every detail to avoid frustration with the final result.

However, pottery taught me a different perspective. There is a collaborative exchange between me and the material: We work as a duo, where I need to accept and incorporate a little of what ceramics offers.

What do you usually do during a creative break?

One of the things I like to do is write, whether it's to record my ideas, thoughts or observations about the pieces I've created. It's a way to revisit the process and understand how I got to that point. Sometimes I take a deeper look at a piece I loved, knowing it will be one of a kind and not reproduced.

I also like to prepare teas in the studio, and I like to take advantage of these moments to connect with myself, reviewing my notes and visualizing the paths I intend to follow in my creative journey. Sometimes I set a time limit for exploring and developing certain ideas.

Do you have any tips for boosting creativity?

I think creativity requires discipline and involves constantly doing. My obsession with ceramics made the pieces, ideas and the studio grow. Even when I'm not so inspired, I come to the studio to do other things that don't involve creation, like cleaning, sanding or burning the pieces, organizing the space.

I believe that creativity comes from constantly creating and being open to explore.

Any other tips you'd like to share?

In the studio, we've been listening to the podcast Elefantes na Neblina [available in Brazilian Portuguese only] a lot, which addresses topics such as psychoanalysis, philosophy and spirituality in a very interesting way.

In addition, I have found inspiration in the book The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, which contains several tips for believing in your own work, even when you think it is not where it should be. It's an incentive to do things you like and that lead you to new ideas.

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Photographs by Studio Rocha, Raphael Dias, and Miguel Thomé © All rights reserved.

To learn more, visit www.studiorocha.com