Community Spotlight: Romy Northover, Founder of No.

any dream of turning a passion into a career, and the talented Brit Romy Northover has done just so. After years of art school and experimentation with other mediums, Romy eventually focused on what she loved to do – creating stunning ceramic designs under the design house No. (‘nō) which she launched in 2012. With inventory spanning the globe (in North America, Europe, and Australia), she constantly pushes the boundaries of traditional ceramic art. We caught up with Romy to learn more about her designs, her background in the world of art, and her recent photoshoot at our Sun Drenched Studio.

SPLACER: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

ROMY NORTHOVER: I grew up in the English countryside, attending school with a ceramics program. I later attended art school at Goldsmith’s in London, pursuing a degree in Fine Arts. It was more of a conceptual art school, allowing me to study art, video, and installation; I departed from ceramics, as there were no facilities available. After university, I continued to make art around Europe, and eventually came to the States when I was 30, returning to my earlier work with ceramics.

SPLACER: What inspired you to focus solely on the ceramic craft?

ROMY NORTHOVER: I was always very successful when working with ceramics, but I wanted to save it for later in life – I didn’t want to necessarily spoil it as a job. It was really the only thing I felt centered on doing and it made sense. I sort of looped back to it after working with other mediums.

SPLACER: Do you have a favorite collection?

ROMY NORTHOVER: It tends to be the current project that I’m working on at the time. I love the process of figuring things out and love experimentation. I’m interested in new shapes, looking ahead and figuring out new ways to do things, and fascinating new clients.

SPLACER: Any ceramicists you look up to/who inspires you as an artist?

ROMY NORTHOVER: Lucie Rie is particularly special; her aesthetic is unwavering and inimitable. I actually really love Picasso’s ceramics because they have humor and spontaneity that I enjoy. I’m also inspired by Ryoji Koie and Shiro Tsujimura. Then, there are all the unnamed ceramics from centuries ago – I find those to be the greatest sources of inspiration. Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas…everywhere in the world. Pottery signifies this beautiful synergy and respect between humankind and the earth. There is a purity to that work, and extraordinary craftsmanship. It’s humbling to understand that you are part of a continuum. I am driven to make work that connects me to what it means to be living in this world, regardless of race, gender, status, etc. It’s about those very primal feelings and sensory experiences combined with my love of clarity, balance and light from modernist art and design.

SPLACER: How was your experience with Japanese ceramics?

ROMY NORTHOVER: I joined a Japanese studio in New York – Togei Kyoshitsu. I was there for two years and learned a lot about Japanese ceramics and principles.

SPLACER: Tell us about the photo shoot you had in our space.

ROMY NORTHOVER: The space was great and the people involved were great. I worked with a photographer and talked about the concept that I wanted to be captured. I really liked getting together with other people and creating as a team. I worked with photographer Shanita Sims; she was introduced to me through a friend. Shanita and I had been admiring each other’s work through Instagram for a while. We understood each other’s visual language, so when we met, it was easy to become friends. She has a tenacious sense of self and a terrific sense of humor! Shanita had worked with my model, Geli, before, so I had seen some of their work together. Geli has a powerful and strong presence, yet she is also relaxed and gentle in a similar way that clay transforms from a malleable form to something durable. I feel that it demonstrates great character and strength to allow oneself to be soft and open. Her body, but also her free spirit, answers the ceramic forms. I enjoyed the shoot a lot.

SPLACER: For this shoot, what collection was this for? What inspired the collection?

ROMY NORTHOVER: The majority of the work I do is custom-made or one-of-a-kind pieces for a space, client, or individual. I wanted to give a wider view of the work as opposed to simply product photography; this works better for selling multiples. It was important for me to show the work with the body. There is a clear interrelation, as the process of making ceramics is so physical. There is most definitely something anthropomorphic about a vessel. This shoot was to give a sense of how the work feels, to demonstrate how you can live with the work. Something tactile and emotional – how it relates to the human body and individual. It’s as much what you as the viewer brings to it as what I do when making it.

SPLACER: What was the concept behind the shoot?

ROMY NORTHOVER: Feelings of freedom, strength, and space. Ceramics bridges a natural connection to the Earth, combining human and nature. It was a small production, but it was nice to have that connection.

SPLACER: Why did you pick the space that you chose?

ROMY NORTHOVER: I chose the space primarily for the light, but also because of the simplicity and rawness of it. It was very airy and pure. The space had a perfect atmosphere, which was really important to reflect in the shoot.

SPLACER: Any upcoming events?

ROMY NORTHOVER: I’m having a very small, intimate showing in Tribeca in September, featuring some coffee table bowls and stuff like that.

SPLACER: Where do you see your No. going in several years?

ROMY NORTHOVER: I want to go deeper into the process and how I create, taking time in exploration. I want to make sure my work is about emotion, and that it continues to reflect different moods and contexts. I hope that my work remains open.

SPLACER: What’s your favorite exhibition you’ve been to in the past several months?

ROMY NORTHOVER: Sol LeWitt’s collection at the Drawing Center, and Robert Ryman at Dia.

SPLACER: Any spaces you’d like to visit?

ROMY NORTHOVER: Casa Wabi in Oaxaca, Mexico is an artists space built by Tado Ando, and it looks incredible. Artists work there and are respectful of the local culture. The building is harmonious with the landscape. I’m dying to visit Alex Vervoordt’s gallery in Antwerp. I have several of his books and I’m sure that being in any of his spaces would be an experience. I also feel deeply connected to the land of north Africa. The horizons, variety in the landscape, and colors that are available in that light are incredible.

Words by Katie Roscoe

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