Artists We Love: xOxO Pottery

INTERVIEWED BY Michaela Stehr

Lexi Kanias of xOxO Pottery tells us about how travel, staying true to yourself and embracing expressing lead to her Mediterranean-inspired creations.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’ve always been involved in something arty. Art transcends so many different spheres in my life. I’ve always been creative, from a child I went to weekly canvas painting classes and weekly ceramic classes. My favourite pastime was always colouring in with those lovely thick, bright and bold pencils, or pastels. 

I’ve never been a watercolour kinda girl can you tell? Bear in mind my art teacher at school pulled me aside one day and said “you need to drop art, it’s not for you, you have no talent.”

Luckily I didn’t let that harsh criticism grow roots, however, sadly I did drop art as a subject. As a teenager/young adult, I delved into drama and acting ending up in Grahamstown performing for the arts festival. 

In my early 20’s I owned a Mediterranean restaurant for 4 years – I come from a cooking and baking background. I’m Greek we love to feed people. 

I then worked in real estate for 14 years which I loved, as well as in the venue/events industry. 

So whether it’s a canvas, a stage, a venue in need of decorating, a plate of food or a clay sculpture I’ve always had my finger close to my artistic flare and pulse. So looking back it was always on the cards. It was just a matter of time. 

How did you get involved in ceramics/pottery?

Having done ceramics/art throughout my childhood, it’s always been part of me. I joined a studio in 2013 attending a weekly class purely as a hobby initially. Little did I know by 2017 it would be my full-time way of life. 

 I finally allowed myself to answer a calling in my soul to do what I love all day every day. To accept and acknowledge my gifts and talent. 

I found myself walking my first Camino in Spain in 2016 which was an incredibly definitive life-changing 550km experience for me. I was at a crossroads within myself, those seem to be the best (hardest) moments for a change to occur. But the clarity was glaringly obvious. 

I was breaking down years of preconditioned behaviour of what I ‘should be doing’, what’s ‘acceptable’ and ‘what makes sense’. 

I had reached a point where none of that was going to fly by me anymore. I needed more. I needed to “officially” be creative all day every day. I have felt most alive ever since. It takes bravery to live a life you love unapologetically. To do work you care about, that brings you joy, that brings others joy and that pays the bills. 

What is your favourite thing about working with clay?

I love its unpredictability. I love the freedom I feel when creating. 

I love working with clay and I often go with the flow of how the clay falls and where it decides it would like to be placed. I don’t ‘overwork’ any of the pieces – I want you to see it’s handmade. I don’t overthink it, I like to just play and create and let each piece come to life on its own and believe me they do. Creating each piece is a process. All pieces go into the kiln twice and some a third time to achieve the desired finished look. I love how unpredictable it can be. How I think I’m in control as the creator but sometimes even though it’s hard to accept and very rarely happens my pieces go into the kiln and don’t come out as intended. The kiln gods every so often come down and let me know who’s boss. I’ve learnt to accept these moments and “roll” with them – pun intended. 

What does a day in the studio look like for you?

Somedays they flow with very little intentional effort on my part – I love those days I call them gift days. Me in my studio with my clay creating or glazing. Where time stands still and hours can go by and I’m completely unaware. Somedays it involves me wearing the very many ‘hats’ – being a solopreneur. I love those days too but they require less creativity and demand straight-up business managing and hustling. Managing my social media/online store accounts, packing pieces needing to be couriered, photographing new pieces needing to be uploaded to my store, checking my stock levels to ensure I have the items I need to produce, and the list goes on… It’s a mixed bag sometimes, but I love it. 

Where do you look for inspiration?

Inspiration is everywhere. It’s all about how aware I am. In my daily life, what I see, what I feel and what impact it has on me. Exposure to the world and nature is something I crave. I’m a go-with-your-intuition kind of person. Inspiration comes in so many ways and forms daily. Some are purely external but so many internal factors play a very big role too. 

It’s more about how receptive and open I am to acknowledging and ‘downloading’ it in whichever form it presents itself. My travels have been hugely influential in my designs and colour palettes. Walking two Caminos through Spain covering over 550kms through villages, vineyards and breathtaking nature. I visited South America in 2019 and walked part of the Inca trail to Machu Pichu which had a massive impact on me as well as my work. The colour tones of South America will never leave my soul. My Mediterranean and Greek heritage also comes through in many of my sculptures and ranges. 

Do you have a preferred method of creating?

The coiling method is most certainly the front runner. I’ve also recently started slabbing. I’ve never attempted the wheel, perhaps I will one day.  

How do you keep things fresh with so many potters and ceramists around?

I stay in my lane. I don’t look around too much and instead try to honour my creative voice and I only create and sculpt pieces that align with my creative aesthetic. 

I sculpt and mix my own glazes. 

I believe each bag of clay holds endless possibilities – it’s an ongoing internal creative adventure. 

Doing what inspires me daily motivates me & drives my brand to greater heights. 

I have a love affair with every bag of clay I open, with every piece I sculpt and with every bottle of glaze I mix. 

Each imprint matters. 

Each brush stroke matters.

Each piece contains part of my soul.

Each piece is made with my hands from start to finish. 

Any local creatives to keep on our radar?

Gosh, my list could go on and on so hard to only mention a few. 

Richard Bothma, Anina Deetlefs, Kim Black, and Solomon Omogboye. 

Tips and tricks for beginners?

Somewhere along the line these questions must be asked and answered:

• What is your voice? 
• How do you want to express it? 
• What do you stand for? 
• What is your point of difference? 

My advice is, Do what you love, access the desire and passion from within you and share it. It’ll be your greatest love affair. 

Looking for more local art? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, here.