About bopdotz

bopdotz ceramics and jewellery are designed and crafted by me, Sara Hogwood, in my Canberra home studios. My current focus is on ceramics with jewellery production taking a back seat for the time being.

In my ceramic studio I create wheel-thrown pieces such as mugs, jugs, beakers, bowls and vases. I generally use two clays: a mid-fire porcelain clay for its smoothness and a buff-coloured clay that has a more earthy finish. Glazes and finishes are generally quiet and unassuming but aim to complement an item’s overall form.

While currently limited, output from the jewellery studio includes earrings, pendants and rings crafted from sterling silver using silver-smithing techniques designed to enhance your look and bring pleasure when worn.

Taught by experienced and creative makers in both disciplines, I like to think that they’ve given me the skills to explore my ideas, paring them back to achieve my aim of simple, well-designed, well-made pieces. Pottery is the slower process: throw a piece on the wheel, refine its shape when leather-hard, wait for it to dry, bisque fire it, glaze then fire again, all the time planning ahead so that for each firing there’s enough work to fill the kiln. This process usually takes a couple of weeks at best. Silver is more immediate – jewellery pieces can be started and finished the same day. I find the very different processes involved in creating ceramic and silver work equally fulfilling.

As a low-production enterprise, my goal is to bring a little happiness into people’s lives through the mediums of clay and sterling silver.