When ceramic artist Jamie Louise McIntosh closed down her Let’s Make! Pottery shop in Lochilphead last year, it could have been the end of an adventure.
However, Jamie Louise simply converted a van into a mobile studio and now travels around Mid Argyll staging pop-up pottery classes and providing educational workshops.
“It is a lot easier to do pop-ups,” said the ceramic artist. “It has opened me up to the community rather than being stuck [in a shop].
“Pop-up works better for rural settings. I do like working with the community. I like being out among people. I’m trying to reach all the corners of Argyll.
“It is not the road I was originally going down – it was pure chance my husband had a spare van.”
Jamie Louise also has garden studio at her home in Cairnbaan.
The ceramic artist has more than 10 years of experience working with clay.
She studied at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen and graduated with a BA (Hons) in 3D design, specialising in ceramics.
Explaining her work, Jamie Louise said: “I tend to work with porcelain, slipcasting and then manipulating the form by puncturing the clay.
“I enjoy creating texture as well as trying to push the structure or the piece. I welcome bits falling off and the form changing shape in the kiln.
“Colour and creating glazes from scratch is another focus of mine. I love experimenting with layers of glaze and just the alchemy of it all really fascinates me.
“I’ve always been driven by the technical side of ceramics, how things are made, why things react the way they do.
“I’ve exhibited in different exhibitions in Aberdeen, Glasgow and London and sold three of my large vases locally in the Jetty Gallery in Oban over the years.
“I just haven’t had a lot of time to be able to really delve into my own practice, but I have a few ideas in the pipeline; one that is a completely different way of working, less practical, more sculptural-installation piece, so hopefully I get to turn these ideas into reality.
“I’ve got to work with some great organisations, especially now being a mobile entity.
“I’ve worked with The Rockfield Centre in Oban facilitating ceramic skills classes. I’ve also worked with the wonderful team at the Dochas Centre since I’ve had the shop but being on wheels I was able to work with the group in Campbeltown as well.
“I’ve been able to attend the Southend Games, Tayvallich Gala Day and do lots of private sessions for groups ranging from kids in the local and surrounding area, after school clubs to adult groups like the SWI.
“Although I travel with my van, all the background goings on happen in my garden studio back in Cairnbaan, for which I give full credit to my husband Steven Sloan.
“He has his own company Sloan Improvements Ltd, but still found the time to build me a studio and get it all set up so I could transition to a mobile business instead of the shop.
“I was sad to let the shop go, especially after such a short time, but the footfall had reduced dramatically, costs for materials were rising and I just wasn’t getting the weekend trade to warrant being away from my wee family all the time.
“Being mobile works so much better – but I do miss being part of the town, being able to nip to The Salty Dog or The Square Peg for lunch.”