Little Leaf Pottery: How The Great Pottery Throwdown inspired Yorkshire woman's pottery business

Clasped in hand, this staple of the kitchen cupboard is integral to any gathering.

Unsurprisingly, in a tea and coffee drinking nation, this practical and important piece of crockery is no longer the humble mug – its profile raised through sizes and styles - personalisation; themes and bold and fancy colour schemes.

For Gabi Rissi Pyman, mugs - and the wider ceramic world – hold a more meaningful significance as a reminder of her native home and family.

Growing up in the mountainous Grisons in Switzerland, before love brought her to York, provides Gabi with the inspiration for her pots which she is busy profiling through her business, Little Leaf Pottery, along with Youtube videos of her at work and on Instagram.

“The mountains are my inspiration because York is rather flat in comparison to where I grew up and it is inspiring me. There is something about the mountains. It is quite rough, hard life, and you find so many tiny little plants that grow on the very top. They are so hardy and sturdy and very humbling and I try and incorporate that into my work,” explains Gabi.

She lived in the ski resort she calls an ‘idyllic place’ for 30 years before coming to York as part of her studies for her degree in translation and interpretation.

While studying Gabi met fellow student, Will, who she later married, swapping the mountains of Switzerland, for the historic city of York.

Becoming a mum Gabi was seeking a flexible career to fit around her three children aged 6, 8 and 10. Watching the TV trailer for The Great Pottery Throwdown introduced her to the perfect profession.

“I was watching the trailers for the Great Pottery Throwdown and I turned to my husband and said ‘this is something that looks really cool.’”

Following further research on the internet, Gabi sat at her kitchen table in January 2020 with the tools of her future trade – 2 kg of test clay, an old chopping board, an old loyalty card, a blunt kitchen knife “and a lot of enthusiasm.”

“I thought I would just try it and I am so glad I did. It was the best £20 I have invested. I really love it. I started at a terrible time with Covid looming and just as I thought about joining a studio everything was shutting down so I had to teach myself,” says Gabi, who watched Youtube videos and read plenty of books.

Every day since has been a learning curve – even more so since launching her home studio in 2021 which, like many of the pieces in her collection, is christened in honour of precious family, past and present, and of her native roots.

“The name came about because six years ago we lost our little baby. When I came back from hospital I was very frustrated and was having a go at one of the bushes outside with the shearers and a heart shaped leaf fell on my top. I put it on the garden table. That night there was a terrible storm, it was very windy, and the little leaf was still there. I thought that is a little hello from our little baby and that is why it is called Little Leaf Pottery.

“Unfortunately we never got to meet our little baby, but our baby is still a very important part of our family so I wanted to pay tribute to that fact by honouring our baby in the name of the studio,” explains Gabi.

Her three children are all depicted in her expansive collection incorporating bowls, vases and mugs.

Gabi explains the ‘Angel of the North’ collection is inspired by her three children.

“My in-laws call our children ‘the Angels of the North’ because they live down South. I have honoured our baby why not honour our children as well when they are living a life and prospering and bringing us so much joy.

“I found three glazes I liked and combined them and they are just like our children, they are all different, they all react differently and you never get the same result. I love them and that is why I call them the ‘Angels of the North.’”

The Davos and Filisur ranges are a tribute to where Gabi grew up. The Filisur range features Sgraffito vases reminiscent of the traditionally decorated houses synonymous with the street village.

“I have another range called Seaside. Obviously we don’t have sea in Switzerland so the first time I saw the sea was when I went on a trip to Whitby. I was very fascinated but I had to admire it from the beach because it was stormy, but I love the interaction of the sand and the water and I try to imitate that on the pots with the white and blue,” explains Gabi, referring to the stylish expresso cups.

She says from taking the clay out of the bag to holding the finished mug or pot in her hand takes seven to 10 days – depending on the time of year. Summer and Winter bring different challenges – the warmth quickens the process and the cold slows it down.

Patience is a particular virtue potters need to possess as Gabi explains through the process of what she calls ‘slow magic.’

“It is something you cannot rush. You have to slow down and take your time.

“That is where I get the ‘slow magic’ from because you have to be slow and that is what I like, it forces you to slow down because if you don’t slow down you don’t get the results.

“The ‘magic’ comes in with the kiln – you can have the best painted pot but at the end of the day how the glaze comes out is entirely up to the Kiln Gods,” says Gabi, referring to the unpredictable nature of a hand produced pot.

“You will always have slight variations and that is another thing I like because each piece is unique.”

The legacy of the lockdown led to the swell of support for shopping local. Investing in products that are handmade, unique and not mass marketed also has a positive impact on the environment.

Discerning customers are seeking quality not quantity, and are helping to profile and support the talents of local artisans through their purchases.

While the flexibility of running her own business around family life suits Gabi, she has future ambitions too.

She has already participated in local craft fairs and is keen to have a presence at larger shows where she can increase the exposure of the brand she is busy developing, and which is so close to her heart.

“I get so much out of it. It makes me slow down and I can have some time for myself as well because quite often in a house with three children, three cats and a dog there are so many things you have to do, you don’t have any time for yourself,” says Gabi.

Becoming a potter isn’t just a profession – it’s a passion.

“It is empowering me. I sit at the wheel and throw a pot and it is my space. I love it. It brings me so much joy,” says Gabi.

Of course, it has its trials and tribulations too.

“There is a lot of frustration with it when I blow up bowls in the kiln, but I have to be patient. I am so blessed, and very lucky to be able to do this and I appreciate it so much. Every day I get to come in my studio and do this job.”

For more information visit little-leaf-pottery.com. You can also watch Gabi at work on Youtube or find her on Instagram.