Perm Artist Quits Factory to Make Ceramic Dishes with Ammonites

Perm ceramic artist Olga Zakharova creates dishes, decorative interior figures, vases, and candlesticks. She took up creativity after already being a technical specialist with extensive experience, and since then hasn«t stopped: she wins regional competitions, organizes masterclasses, and continues to learn. We talked with Olga about how she came to creativity, whether she makes custom pieces, and what she thinks about plagiarism in art.

«The feeling that I am a creator captivated me»

Olga«s life changed on an ordinary day in 2017 when she attended a clay sculpting masterclass led by Nadezhda Spiridonova.

«I really liked the material then,» Olga recalls in a conversation with 59.RU. «I sculpted a plate and a mug, and I really enjoyed working with the material and the feeling that I created something with my own hands. In my case, it was also dishes that could be used, and this feeling that I am a creator captivated me!»

After that masterclass, Olga awakened a desire to sculpt again and again. The Perm woman asked Nadezhda Spiridonova what clay she uses and where she buys it, then purchased materials and started sculpting at home. The girl looked at different works online and «did everything under the sun.»

«At that time, I worked at an enterprise and in the evenings, and on weekends I did everything I wanted: plates, mugs, figurines, and various decor items,» says Olga. «I shared this on social media, talked about what I do. Close ones also supported me and still do: from the very beginning, my husband often said that I do it beautifully.»

By the way, Olga is not only a creator but also a mother of many children: her two daughters are 23 and 15 years old, and her son is five years old. The eldest daughter helps the Perm woman at masterclasses, fairs, and festivals, the middle one sometimes packages souvenir products, and the youngest child already sculpts from ceramics. Now Olga runs a club in her son«s kindergarten, and he happily learns new things.

After six months of passion for ceramics, the girl took advanced training courses in St. Petersburg—she took leave from her main job and went to study in the northern capital. And then she started conducting masterclasses—to this day, Perm residents attend them.

In summer 2019, Olga participated in the Red Fest festival, and in winter of the same year, she presented works at the Red Market fair. People were interested in the items, and this additionally motivated the girl.

«It turned out to be a fusion of two important factors: I like making ceramic works, and people like it. So I decided to continue,» recalls Olga.

In the same period, the Perm woman saw that the all-Russian competition «Living Clay» was taking place in Yaroslavl, and decided to participate. For the competition, it was necessary to make a work on a specific theme according to given criteria, and Olga made a Firebird in the form of a boat, inside which lie apples from the garden of Eden. She took second place.

In 2020, Olga left the factory and entirely devoted herself to creativity. In autumn 2021, the craftswoman first participated in the regional competition of stone carvers and ceramists «Golden Hands of Prikamye». Specifically for it, Olga made a teapot, tea caddy, sugar bowl, and coffee pot. The girl won and in subsequent years applied two more times to «Golden Hands of Prikamye» and won. And in 2023, she was awarded the title «Folk Master of Perm Krai».

«I really love competitions because they give further development. In them, you have to be inventive, see how others make their works, constantly grow and improve your skills to win,» believes Olga. «I went to the all-Russian competition »Living Clay« in Yaroslavl and participated in the all-Russian »Tourist Souvenir«—the best masters were awarded in Perm. Then the jury included the famous master of ceramics and pottery Alexander Poverin. I took second place, although I didn»t expect it myself!«

«A huge thank you to Murchison»

A separate theme of Olga«s creativity is motifs of the Perm Sea. She makes exotic fish, mollusks, corals... Interest in ancient plants and inhabitants appeared in the girl in 2021: she wanted to participate in the »Tourist Souvenir« competition and was looking for interesting facts about Perm and its history. Olga became interested in the Perm Sea and, in particular, ammonites, and this topic »pulled her in«.

The girl says that our geological history inspires her very much.

«Millions of years ago, various lizards still ran along the shores of the sea, ginkgo biloba and huge ferns grew,» the interlocutor tells 59.RU. «Roderick Murchison, who came to us from Great Britain, defined that period in geological history—called it Permian. And for that, a huge thank you to him, because this period was all over the world, but he named it that way, and we should popularize it, talk about it, and make it part of Perm. Ammonites are also in Ulyanovsk Oblast and the Caucasus. But we have the opportunity to make this period one of the stories, thanks to which the whole world will know about us.»

About perfume with the scent of the Perm Sea and cooperation with other masters

The girl held three personal exhibitions «Perm Sea»—in Perm, Izhevsk, and Votkinsk. During preparation for them, Olga wanted not only to convey images of ancient animals and plants but also to make it so that visitors could feel the aroma of the Perm Sea itself.

«At the exhibition, I wanted to engage several human senses, and this summer, together with perfumer Viola Novoselova, we created the perfume »Aroma of the Perm Sea«. I made a technical task—wrote what the Perm Sea could smell like, and Viola already understood and created the eau de toilette,» says Olga. «And I developed the packaging design and am involved in it. The volume of the perfume is quite small—3 milliliters, it»s souvenir products for museums of Prikamye. I want both tourists and Perm residents themselves to be able to feel the aroma of the Perm Sea.«

When creating the aroma, Olga studied scientific articles online about what climate was like when the Perm Sea existed.

«The sea itself was warm and salty, and the climate—humid and tropical, it was very warm. All life on Earth originated from the sea,» shares the girl. «When Viola and I strived to convey this picture, we had the feeling that the Perm Sea smells of aquatica (this term in perfumery denotes freshness and humidity—Ed.), sea salt, greenery, and possibly raw earth and swamp. And Viola succeeded: when people smell the aroma, they say that the perfume really smells of the sea, greenery, and there are notes of raw earth. At the same time, the smell of raw earth is conveyed using sage.»

Olga has the formula for these perfumes, and if desired, the girl can transfer it to a factory and produce «Aroma of the Perm Sea» on an industrial scale.

«Ceramics teaches acceptance»

At the beginning of the path, the craftswoman worried if defects appeared on the items during the sculpting and firing process, but over time, she began to treat mistakes calmly.

The girl says that she tries to reduce some defects with the help of quality material and strict adherence to technology. When working with ceramics, one should not rush, even need to wait, believes Olga.

«Inspiration often comes in travels»

Olga loves to travel very much—according to her, it develops visual experience. Being in other cities and countries, she carefully observes people, nature, mood, visits excursions, and communicates with different masters.

«From masters even in other fields comes inspiration: I find in their creativity details or themes for future works. But actually, everything has long been invented in the world, and it»s hard to invent something new,« believes the master. »Now an artist must simply look around, pass everything through their feelings and vision, and then create, inspired by already existing elements of ideas. A master needs to understand why they need it and what they want to say to the world through their works.«

Olga says that she tries to convey love for the material and creativity, and other people see this. Moreover, she tries to tell in her items about the Perm Sea and its wonderful inhabitants and plants that no longer exist on earth.

The master tries to go to 3-4 new locations annually, both in Russia and abroad. She has been to Egypt, Dubai, Indonesia, Abkhazia, from Russian regions and cities in Crimea and Sochi. And seven years ago, Olga went to the island of Bali not only to relax but also to study at the pottery studio «Gaya» (Gaya Ceramics ArtCenter). It was opened by hereditary ceramists—a husband and wife.

«I combined vacation with a masterclass, pleasant with useful. My relatives rested, and I worked in the workshop, because for me it»s a very pleasant activity, I don«t consider it work,» says Olga. «When I travel, I always look for what studios and masters are there. In Dagestan, there is Balkhar ceramics—it is practiced by elderly masters from an abandoned village. They sculpt jugs from red clay without a potter»s wheel, and the clay itself is mined on the outskirts of the village. There are a few grandmothers and grandfathers left, and there are no followers among the youth, but the masters try to preserve these traditions.«

During the trip to Dagestan, Olga admired lambs and took them in her arms, and after returning, she sculpted many little lambs.

To get to the village of Balkhar in Dagestan, you need to drive on a dirt road without signal for about two hours. The village is in the backwoods, and Olga found it with difficulty. But during the journey, she managed to communicate with the masters and see how they produce ceramic items. The craftswoman says that she would like to travel more—to see Japan, China, Korea, and more European countries.

About the favorite motif in works

In a conversation with 59.RU, Olga admits that she likes to repeat the golden spiral in her works. This symbol can be seen in both a shell and a ram«s horns.

«The golden spiral is a reference to the cosmos and development. Architects use it in staircases winding in lighthouses or other structures. It»s a sign of development,« says the craftswoman. »Such «curls» are also in early ferns when they just begin to ascend, and these early ferns are in my works. The Perm Sea is a deep cool topic, but sometimes I step away from it because inspiration comes at different moments.«

When Olga wants other themes in creativity, other motifs appear—for example, small decorative and large interior snails.

«Apparently, my inner request is reflected in creativity this way. A snail slowly but surely crawls towards its goal and has a home. Inside the home, it can hide from the whole world,» reflects the Perm woman. «I often sculpt in series: first, I draw a sketch, and then I create the item. Now I need to sculpt several ancient fish for an exhibition, but I don»t want to do it because I want to sculpt snails. So I don«t force myself, I sculpt, then I»ll calm down and take on the next thing.«

About masterclasses and custom works

Olga conducts many masterclasses for birthdays and corporate events—she started teaching others when she learned herself. Under her guidance, you can sculpt a vase, a small fish, a candlestick, or a plate. But the craftswoman admits that she prefers not to repeat the works of other masters when asked to do so.

«It happens that people find a picture on Pinterest or just in a search engine and ask to repeat it, that is, to make pure plagiarism. This is disrespect both to me and to the author of that work, it turns out,» reflects Olga. «I refuse and don»t take such orders. A person can find the master who made that work and ask them for a repeat.«

The girl says that she accepts orders for works in her style, but most of all loves to sell already finished items. She likes not to be in strict frameworks and limitations, but to express herself in ceramics.

Olga Zakharova«s works are often bought by tourists who come to Perm—then they give the items to their relatives in different cities of Russia, as well as in Israel, Georgia, Germany, Switzerland, and other points of the world.

«They tell me about it later, for example, one girl bought a mug and gave it to her manager from Switzerland. A Russian girl working as a biologist in Australia also bought one of my works,» recalls Olga. «So they spread all over the world.»

Earlier we told how two Perm women launched the brand of porcelain jewelry «Eva»—they were inspired by the Perm animal style.