One clean minute with Marieke van Heesbeen

Dutch artist and designer Marieke van Heesbeen first encountered ceramics during her studies, where it was part of the curriculum for a year and a half. The material immediately felt right. Having grown up making things in her father’s workshop, clay became a natural extension of her instinct to shape, build and refine.

During her time at the academy she began to explore the medium more independently. In 2017 she travelled to Jingdezhen, China (the world’s capital of porcelain) for a two-and-a-half-week residency. That experience defined her way of working. After graduating she moved into her current studio, where she continues to develop a practice grounded in material curiosity and form exploration.

We met Marieke in her studio to talk about her creative process, her fascination with public objects, and the flexible, playful nature of clay.

How did you first get into ceramics?

During my studies. Ceramics was a fixed part of the program, and I had lessons for about a year and a half. Quite quickly I realised I really liked it, I could put my energy into it. I’ve always been a maker. From a young age I made things in my father’s workshop. During my studies I started using ceramics more and more in my own way. I was lucky to go on a study trip to Jingdezhen in 2017, where I worked for two and a half weeks. That’s where I really developed my method. After graduating I came straight to this studio, and that’s where everything continued to grow.

What made clay feel right for you?

The flexibility. With wood, once you make a cut, it’s final. But with clay, you can keep adjusting, you can deform, rework, pour in colour. It gives you room to explore. That freedom opened something up for me. A single form can take on so many possibilities. That sense of play made me want to keep going.

Do you remember the first object you made that stayed with you?

The first porcelain piece I made was a small bowl. We had to design something based on our favourite object, so I brought in a bowl and upgraded it into something that felt good to me. I still have it somewhere in the studio.

Where do you find inspiration for your forms?

Mainly in public spaces. Right now I’m very focused on water towers. For me, they have the perfect balance between function and autonomy. You can’t immediately see what they do or how they work, but they’re such stately, detailed structures. You can even tell from a water tower which era it was built in, and sometimes who designed it.

Has your way of looking at things changed because of your work?

Definitely. When I walk into a shop, I don’t see products anymore, I see a database of forms. I don’t look at their function, just their shapes. A lot of my inspiration comes from thrift stores. My objects often combine elements from found forms, glass, ceramics, everyday pieces, to keep that sense of play alive in the process.

Can you share an example of a form that recently inspired you?

Yes, again, water towers. Many of them are quite brutalist, and I find that really interesting. There’s a series by the photographer duo Bernd and Hilla Becher that I love. From their work, I picked up on the ribbed surfaces and colour variations, and the way domes sometimes fall inward or shapes sit slightly out of balance. Those small distortions are fascinating.

How does your design process usually begin?

It starts with the archive of forms I’ve collected in the studio. I cast a lot of them in white and photograph them to see how they work visually, whether the image feels calm or busy.

From there, I make line drawings in Illustrator so I can test colours. I place the colours behind each other in Photoshop to see which combinations work best.

What role does colour play for you?

Colour changes everything. It determines the character of a form, whether it feels heavy, light, fresh, or calm. The same shape in dark blue or bright yellow tells a completely different story.

And finally, the Soap Tray you created with Kinfill. How does that connect to your work?

It ties in with everything I do. It’s the exploration of form, the attention to detail, and the idea of turning small, functional objects into something that feels special.

Watch Marieke in her studio for One Clean Minute @kinfillcare. 

Photography by Fan Liao for (w)aardewerk Crafts Council Nederland