Meet the Maker: Mitch and Rebekah Parry, Pazzalotti

Working from their studio in the Northern Rivers of NSW, husband-and-wife duo Mitch and Rebekah Parry created Pazzalotti, producing handmade lighting, furniture and sculptural objects. Through a collaborative and intuitive process, they explore form, texture and materiality, bringing a distinctly tactile quality to their work. We caught up with the pair to delve into their practice and the objects they have created for Jardan.

1. How would you describe Pazzalotti, and what's the story behind the name?

We would describe Pazzalotti as expressive, tactile and joyfully unconventional. There is a tension in the work that we really enjoy: the pieces can be bold and a little wild, but there is still a strong sensitivity to silhouette, proportion and colour. We view ourselves as texture maximalists—there is a lot happening on the surface, but the overall form still needs to feel resolved.

The name originated as a moniker for the fun and fancy alter ego inhabited by Mitch (aka Pazza) on our first European summer trip. When we discovered Pazza also meant ‘crazy’ in Italian, it felt like a fitting name to represent the uninhibited and expressive way we work together. We like to think that Pazzalotti has come to mean “a lot of crazy”, which reflects the playful and expressive side of our work.

2. What are your backgrounds and what drew you to hand-building?

We both came to ceramics from different creative backgrounds. Bek studied Fine Arts and works as a Creative Director, so her practice has always involved ideas, composition, colour and creating immersive worlds. Mitch’s background is in music, alongside drafting and logistics, which has given him a very intuitive yet technically minded approach.

Ceramics was completely new territory for both of us. We signed up for a class a couple of years ago as something fun to do together and became obsessed almost immediately. Before long, clay had taken over our house, and our date nights had turned into a committed studio practice.

We love the simplicity of the method. It gives us space to be playful and emotive in both the shape and the mark-making, while allowing each object to carry its own gestures and imperfections.

3. What does a typical day in the studio look like?

There isn’t really a typical day, but most begin with a quick check-in and a loose idea of what we want to achieve. The ideas themselves rarely begin neatly at a desk. We sketch on the breakfast counter, draw forms in the sand during a morning walk and have even mapped out silhouettes in the steam on the shower glass. There is a constant conversation happening between everyday life and the studio.

Once we start making, we usually have several pieces evolving at the same time. Mitch has recently been building much of the work, while Bek focuses more on concept, form, colour and glazing, although the roles remain fluid. There is always music playing and a lot of discussion.

4. What inspired this collection, and what references or influences shaped the work?

This collection, as with most of our work, was developed quite intuitively. The original version of each profile was made through experimentation rather than from a fixed sketch or reference, so each form arrived with its own personality.

Once the group began coming together, we could see a softness running through it. We were interested in creating a family of objects that felt connected while still allowing each piece to hold its own identity.

The silhouettes and palette started to evoke summer skies, hazy light, clouds and halos. Through this, there is a sense of buoyancy to the pieces that allow them to feel generous and playful, but also calm.

5. How much time and care goes into creating a single piece, from concept through to completion?

Until this collection, every piece we made was entirely one-of-a-kind. Creating the Jardan collection has been our first experience of returning to and replicating a profile, but because each piece is built by hand, no two can ever be exactly the same.

The forms are constructed using coiling and slab-building techniques, which can take many hours depending on the scale and complexity. They then need to dry very slowly before their first firing. The bisque firing itself takes around 24 hours, after which each piece is carefully glazed by hand and fired again.

There are many stages where the work needs to be observed, adjusted or simply left alone. Ceramics refuse to be rushed, which is both challenging and part of what we love about it.

6. Colour plays an integral role in your work. What colours are you naturally drawn to, and what inspires your palettes from one collection to the next?

We are naturally drawn to bold, joyful colours, but what fascinates us most is the relationship between them. A glaze can feel completely different depending on what sits beside it—colours can vibrate, soften or become almost unfamiliar through a new pairing.

Nature is always present in the background of our choices, but our palette is rarely planned in a rigid way. We test glazes constantly and allow each form to suggest what it wants to become.

7. Every creative practice has moments of uncertainty. How do you find your way back to creativity when you’re feeling uninspired or stuck?

We usually begin by changing our perspective—sometimes quite literally. We might turn an unfinished piece upside down, stack two unrelated forms together, shift objects around the studio or look again at something we had previously dismissed. A small change in context can make a familiar shape feel completely new.

The greatest advantage is having each other. It is very rare for us to be lacking inspiration concurrently. One person will usually bring a new idea, reference or burst of energy into the studio, and the other will respond to it. Creativity becomes something we can pass back and forth until it starts moving again.

8. How has your practice evolved over time? Are there new forms, materials or directions you’re excited to explore?

In the beginning, our work was much more spontaneous and each piece existed entirely on its own. That freedom is still at the heart of what we do, but over time the language has become more confident and considered. We have developed a clearer understanding of the gestures, proportions and textures that feel distinctly ours.

We are currently exploring how the visual language of our vessels can move into new contexts. There are ceramic wall works, mirrors, lighting and furniture developing in the studio, alongside larger sculptural pieces.

There has been a lot of prototyping and problem-solving, but we enjoy that stage because it pushes our practice.

Photography by James Cunningham