Fox Tales: Meet Hannah Jean
Hannah Jean’s ceramic work combines refined design with distinctive surface decoration and an unfiltered sense of humour. Whether you’re after beautiful botanicals, cheeky phrases or abstract and chic, Hannah’s got you covered with her eclectic range of ceramics.
We caught up with Hannah to find out more about her craft, the importance of sustainability and how she comes up with the phrases for her sweet and sour charms… Be warned, this interview contains strong language!
Hey Hannah Jean! How did you get into ceramics and how long have you been running Hannah Jean Studio?
I got into ceramics entirely by accident – I was a secondary school teacher before developing a serious case of kiln-fever, and a series of quite random events led to me discovering that clay wasn’t just a lingering, sticky nemesis to my pristine classroom tables… I could literally make whatever idea popped into my head, the possibilities are pretty much endless.
I’ve been running my business for three years now; prior to that it was just me and a bunch of teenagers pondering ‘Is this possible?’ whilst stalking Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube during lockdown. I had no idea how many talented makers were out there sharing their daily studio lives online, I’ve learnt so much from the generosity of other ceramicists (and a lot more thanks to evening classes – big up City Lit in Holborn!).
You say you flit between slip trailing, silkscreen and carving to decorate the surfaces of both handbuilt and wheel-thrown forms - can you tell us a bit more about the difference between these techniques and how you pick which to use for a particular product?
Slip trailing and carving techniques have been used by potters for centuries to decorate their wares; my method of slip trailing involves me flicking liquid clay willy-nilly and it’s quite a cathartic thing to do to a very anally-constructed porcelain form that I’ve spent hours perfecting. I enjoy the juxtaposition of clean, pristine and spontaneous together.
Silkscreen printing stems from my original love – I hold a degree in illustration and printmaking, with a keen focus on macro photography. I never found complete satisfaction from flat paper media alone, but couldn’t put my finger on why – I took a class on ceramic surface decoration some years ago where the tutor had a few basic screens they were pushing ceramic pigments through to create an image; naturally I picked out the most detailed one and set about pulling my first photograph onto a slab of clay, and was absolutely hooked. I’ve spent years since tinkering with recipes and moisture levels to print the most intricate images I can directly on to clay – I glaze on top of my designs so that they’re permanent, unlike the cheapo sort of commemorative mugs and plates most of us have experienced which fade or eventually peel off altogether. My work is made to go the distance, quite intentionally.
How do you come up with the words and phrases for your sweet and sour charms and what’s the reaction to these been like at markets?
When I started selling my work, I just focused on making beautiful and useful things. I’d always had a floating background idea to make sweary pieces, as I’m a naturally expletive-laden person (probably due to both my upbringing and working in schools for so long – repression is never the cure), but initially I thought I’d do that under a completely separate brand. Turns out running one brand is quite enough of a task, and I had this growing feeling that part of who I am was missing from my work. It felt inauthentic to separate the two – beautiful and sweary things are what I want to make.
The very first cheeky pieces I ever took to market were my teabag and spoon rests, some of which read ‘Teabag Me’ – I still produce these in various designs as the cackling that ensues when they get spotted is delicious. I think my favourite people to notice them were a German couple, one of whom asked their partner what the phrase meant, and he just did an instant bobbing motion with his crotch that still makes me snort-laugh to remember it. That and the fact my sweet, sweet Irish catholic auntie bought one of the first editions and is (as far as I know) still none the wiser about it being anything other than a vessel for teabags – much to my cousins’ delight. If you’re reading this, Dee, sorry – love you!
My sweet and sour charms were a natural evolution – I’d been making grumpy pin badges for a while, to the delight (and probably horror) of many a London visitor – ‘Birthday Wanker’ badges never fail to amuse. I wanted to make more discreet versions for my more nervous customers, and then went down a rabbit hole of how small could I paint lettering, then what’s the tiniest set of letter punches I could procure…
As for the phrases? Most of them are inspired by daily interactions – mad East Londoners I’ve shared the night bus with (e.g. ‘I don’t want to talk to you’ and ‘don’t touch me’). General observations about myself (‘Very easily distracted’ and ‘Spiteful & delightful’) that resonate with quite a lot of my customers too. ‘Zero Spoons Left’ was borne out of my own chronic illness-based lack of steam and wanting to have something that required no further exertion in expressing when I’ve got nothing left in the tank. Every so often someone picks one of those up at a market and says ‘haha yes there are never any spoons in the kitchen at work’ - bless them – but some of the judgier customers I get at markets probably have no idea they’ve since had charms or blunt trinket dishes made in their honour… my favourite being ‘Sometimes I wish everyone would just f*ck off’.
The sweet side of my charms is often more literary-inspired or simply a pop culture reference – ‘Sugar Tits’ remains one of my all-time best sellers – tending to be a term of endearment now, it largely shot into the global English lexicon thanks to Mel Gibson’s furious DUI arrest some twenty years ago, make of that what you will. I’m less of a misanthrope than you might assume, more just a little cantankerous by nature. You can hear when someone discovers my work for the first time at market, as I also make a range of grumpy greetings cards… oh and salty office coasters, inscribed with pithy messages – ‘Your email does not find me well’ is always cackled at and snapped up (that design came about via an old school friend of mine spit balling gift ideas for colleagues, so I made some sample pieces and voila). I’m here for the introverts who daydream about being extroverts.
You create bespoke and made-to-order designs - have you had any particularly unusual, enjoyable or memorable requests?
I think a firm favourite of mine has to be a request to make a ceramic coffin – the blink I blunk when that landed in my inbox! In reality it was a miniature display shelf to house gorgeous silver ghosts, but what a cool brief! My second favourite is defo ‘Can you make a sign for my sister’s lady cave?’ – it was actually a very sweet floral piece to accessorise the recipient’s brand new potting shed. I can promise future clients, whatever flavour your weird inside-jokes are, I’m completely here for it.
Sustainability is threaded through every step of your creative process - tell us how you ensure your work is as sustainable as possible, and how this leads you to create some more unusual and creative pieces…
I love adding colour to my clay bodies and whilst looking to find ways of recycling these coloured scraps that didn’t involve them just being mixed into a dull, grey-brown and obviously recycled-looking block of clay, I came up with two methods: I use all the offcuts from my silkscreened and slip trailed slabs to make the foot rings underneath hand built pieces [flip over platters and dishes I’ve made and you’ll soon see what I mean]. I still end up with scrag-end scraps that aren’t big enough to make more pieces with, so I store these in ways that let me keep the clay soft and pliable, before wedging the coloured pieces into fresh blocks of clay (which I beat and stretch multiple times) so these in turn become colourful slabs of marbled clay. The marbled slabs produce their own offcuts so in amongst my lush marbled butter dishes and blunt trinket dishes, if you look closely, you’ll notice that all of my sweet and sour charms are marbled. I’ve intentionally designed lines of work that feed into each other so as not to waste any raw materials.
I also do a lot of things that any conscientious small business would do in 2026: from making sure my electricity supply is as green as possible, to never firing a kiln that’s not full, to filtering my waste water, to washing the plastic bags my clay comes in and reusing them until they are truly ready for recycling. I haven’t ever purchased bubble wrap or packing nuts – I dismantle then re-use every bit of packaging that comes to my door via my suppliers, and I bought a second-hand shredder to make further use of old cardboard and paper as void filler when I post out online orders. I even re-use the clingfilm that some suppliers insist on wrapping equipment in – plastic sheeting is so useful in a ceramic studio, but boy do I use each piece to death before recycling it!
We’d love to hear about your experience at Crafty Fox Markets and as part of the community. Do you have any anecdotes to share from market days or events or have you made any special friends or connections through the community? I absolutely love being part of the Crafty Fox community – it took me aaaages to secure my first market spot, but that’s because they mean it when they say it’s very highly curated. I’m now a member which has helped me to connect with like-minded artists and designers from around the UK – I’ve got some super exciting opportunities currently under negotiation thanks to industry buyers visiting Crafty Fox events looking to source highly unique and British-made products. I also pick up new requests for bespoke pieces on market days – CF customers tend to be people who appreciate having something custom-made just for them or for gifting to their loved ones.
What exciting things you have coming up right now at Hannah Jean Studio?
Whilst I always have new work in development – I’m planning some fine art pieces using new silkscreen prints, a smattering of new charms will launch soon and though the mention of Christmas in August seems heinous, as a maker, my designs for 2026 get brought to life during the summer. All I can tell you is that if you’re a Christmas jumper fan, I gotchu.
I’m also still on a high after the Crafty Fox Sample & Seconds sale at the National Theatre – what a venue! I will be back at the Crossing later this year, and you can visit me at Handmade in Chelsea, then Highgate in the run-up. Catch me at Leadenhall Market next month if you can’t wait that long!
