Ceramic Art: Coco Loves Clay

The manufactory of the Munich ceramic artist Coco Pelger is known for vases, bowls and design objects made of clay and porcelain. She designs and builds the ornate one-offs all entirely by hand.

What has been your most difficult object so far? “Probably my ‚Eternal Blossom Vases‘. The filigree porcelain flowers are moderated by hand and fixed on the vase at the right time. “It works well, but not always – especially when I pick up the pace,” says ceramic artist Coco Pelger. “During the further steps, it can happen again and again that they fall off during drying or break off during glazing.“

Pottery was actually just supposed to be a hobby, it all started with Christmas gifts for her friends that she had posted on Instagram: “The feedback was unexpectedly great, and I’ve been working 24/7 since then.” The hobby quickly turned into a business: Since the last week three of her objects are shown in the renowned Munich furniture store “Neue Werkstätten”, which Coco created especially for this: “I can’t believe it, it’s like an accolade!” The magazines Bunte, Cosmopolitan and Madame will soon report about their vases and plates. And she is currently discussing a cooperation with a Munich accessories designer.

Coco Pelger has worked for lifestyle magazines (including InStyle, Glamor, Condé Nast Traveler) in London and Munich for many years. Creativity has always been her topic – as photo director developing the imagery of the magazines, implementing photo productions, most recently conceiving stories as deputy editor-in-chief. In 2020 she left the media business – with one crying and one laughing eye. “I finally had time to get involved with what I really enjoy. As a creative person, I wanted to create something with my hands, ”says Coco.

Search for meaning, Corona deceleration, the sudden death of her father, a lot of time in nature, the decision not to return to the old job and the desire to finally dare something completely new – there were many factors that made her back to her old passion pottery have run. “I’ve always had clay in the house, but through my full-time job in the media, as a mother of two sons, household, husband … The clay always had dried out when I wanted to take a seat and work with it,” says the artist.

„I find inspiration for my objects above all in nature, whose shapes, colors and structures can be found in many of my works, reinterpreted“

In the meantime, not a single day goes by without Coco making pottery – sometimes to the chagrin of her two sons. “You’re working again …” she then hears. But there are also praise like: “Oh, this is the most beautiful of all vases”.

„II give the material time and I give myself time. This creates unique items that combine the peculiarities of clay or porcelain with my artistic vision“

All the wonderful unique objects are still made in a tiny studio that Coco set up in her house in the east of Munich: “Here I sit with good music or a podcast and prefer to work on completely new ideas. At the moment almost exclusively with porcelain.“

Dealing with porcelain in particular is anything but easy. It is a material with a will of its own. It often takes weeks from the first move on an object to its completion. The greatest challenge for the ceramic artist is not to work against time, but with it. “This flow is like balm for my soul and brings a calm that I have never had before. I often have an object in my head, I sit down and while I work, the plan changes because the material sets the direction”, explains Coco.

The entire development process often takes several weeks – building, drying, burning, glazing, burning, finishing. Depending on the size of the object, this can take up to six weeks or more. My goal is to combine art and ceramics. And at the same time creating unusual everyday objects that subtly enhance any interior, ”says the artist. She likes to involve her customers in the creation process, first discussing the planned object in detail and then sharing pictures of the different stages of its creation with them: “I think that this will give them a closer relationship to the objects. And is there anything better than anticipation?”