Artist Statement

I am a professional ceramist and ceramic artist Olga Blokh. I founded my own studio Bloch Ceramics in Puumala, Finland, in 2020. I make ceramics using pottery wheel, building by hand and slipcasting. I want to add a touch of nature to my objects, which is why I use lake sand, wood ashes and wild clay for decoration. I also use water from Saima Lake while making ceramics, because there is no running water in my studio. Once a year I participate in Anagama wood firing.

The cycles and metamorphoses of the natural world are central to my practice, since my studio is situated in the forest nearby the lake. I observe the life of wild animals, birds and fishes, and they give me the most valuable ideas for my practice. For instance, this is how I started my comics art called Murpups From Puumala in 2017. Since then I have created over 300 paintings and drafts. Comics are based on the true events that happened to me (Bunny, or Pupu, in Finnish) and my husband (Marmot, or Murmeli, in Finnish) during our (Murpups, shortened from Murmeli and Pupu) adventures in Puumala.

All sculptural ceramic characters that I make are also based on Murpups series. Since the beginning of the 2022 I have started to translate my paintings into ceramic art, creating one-act play sculptures.

I have held numerous art exhibitions in Finland and abroad. In 2021 two of my works were selected for the U.S. international ceramic exhibition ”The Personal Universal”, curated by ceramic artist and art critic Anthony Merino and associate professor at the University of North Georgia Alex Kraft. Later in 2021 I was chosen to participate in the Craft Hub EU residency program for EU based art and craft practitioners. In 2021-2022 one of my Murpups paintings is on international tour supported by Wales Arts International.

My studio is private and sales are made through an online store and retailers.

Welcome to the Bloch Ceramics online store !