Handmade in the Hills: Meet Petra's Pottery of Bickley Valley at Crafted Clay Market

There's a particular peace that comes with working clay by hand, and it's exactly what drew Petra to ceramics in the first place. Working from her studio in the Bickley Valley in the Perth Hills, Petra creates handmade pottery and runs pottery workshops that invite people to slow down and discover just how grounding the process can be. You can meet Petra and see her work at Crafted Clay Market on Sunday 4 October.

Where It All Began

Petra's love of clay started simply, with the feeling of working it in her hands. There's something inherently grounding about clay. It asks you to slow down, focus on the moment and see where the process takes you. That early fascination led her to formally study ceramics, and she's continued learning, experimenting and developing her practice ever since. For Petra, there's no real endpoint with ceramics, there's always a new form, technique or idea worth trying. Petra's Pottery grew naturally out of that ongoing love of making and sharing creativity with others.

How the Pieces Are Made

Every piece is handmade by Petra in her studio in the Bickley Valley. She works primarily with hand-building techniques, exploring different forms, textures and finishes as she goes. Much of her inspiration comes from nature and the landscape around her, but she also enjoys experimenting and letting the clay itself guide where a piece ends up.

A Life Built Around Making

Pottery is deeply woven into life in the Bickley Valley for Petra and her husband Harrie. Alongside the pottery studio, the pair run Bickley Valley Cottage and tend their own grape vines and wine-making, so there's rarely a quiet moment. What began as something Petra loved doing has grown into a business that lets her keep creating, learning and sharing that experience with others. The lines between work, art and life aren't always clear-cut here, and that's exactly how she likes it.

Milestones Along the Way

Watching Petra's Pottery grow into what it is today has brought plenty of memorable moments. Petra loves seeing people discover her ceramics, join a workshop, bring along friends and family, and turn a visit into a full day exploring the Perth Hills and the Bickley Valley community. She's also had the chance to share her love of ceramics further afield, travelling to Newman Art Studio to run six sold-out workshops as their new pottery space opened, a special experience introducing a new community to working with clay. Closer to home, being part of Kalamunda Open Studios has given her another way to welcome people into her creative space and share her current work.

Sustainability in the Studio

Reducing waste matters to Petra and Harrie, and they make a point of reusing and repurposing what they already have wherever possible. It can mean a little more clutter around the place, but as Petra puts it, almost anything can become an art material. There's no need to keep consuming more when there's already so much to work with.

The Learning Never Stops

One of the biggest challenges of running a ceramics business, according to Petra, is that you're always learning, both with the clay itself and with the business side of things. Ceramics involves constant experimentation, and sometimes a piece simply doesn't turn out the way you pictured it. Beyond the studio, there's also the ongoing challenge of navigating social media, promoting workshops and getting her work and story in front of new people. Petra's daughter Karina, also an artist, has become a valuable sounding board, and some of Karina's own artwork is displayed alongside Petra's in the studio.

Looking Ahead

Petra's goals are all about continuing to grow as an artist: keep learning, keep experimenting, and keep exploring new forms and techniques, no matter how long she's been working with clay. She'd also love to introduce more people to ceramics through her workshops, and is quick to point out you don't need to consider yourself artistic to enjoy it. Sometimes the most valuable part is simply sitting down, getting your hands into the clay, and giving yourself permission to create.

A First time at Crafted Clay Market

This will be Petra's first time at Crafted Clay Market. She's looking forward to meeting other ceramicists, seeing the range of work on display, and being part of the community for the day, as well as sharing her own pieces with people who might find something to take home.

Come meet Petra and see her handmade pottery at Crafted Clay Market, Sunday 4 October, at The Glasshouse, Cloverdale. Follow her work at @petraspottery on Instagram.