My Story

Hello,

I'm Coady Brûlé, creator of Waffle Pottery. Here's my story.

My life began just outside Toronto, Canada, and now I call sunny Brisbane home. I make ceramics around my duties as a father, husband and home maker. Together with my wife we have four boys, however our youngest died just before he was born in 2019. My wife carried our little Albertine River Brûlé to 39 weeks and he was born still. We miss him so much, and he is present in all aspects of our lives. 

So, how did I get into ceramics?

Many times in 2019 my beautiful and creative wife Kylie, successful business owner of KATM, was asking me to do a one day ceramic throwing course with her. I was always like "yeah sometime, sure ..." you know how you feel when working, taking care of kids and a home, tired all the time. You might relate to this, too. Finally in 2020 we booked the class!

Well, I LOVED it! I was so taken by it! The tactile experience of the clay combined with the circular motion of the wheel, almost hypnotising! It felt like home. 

Shortly after that, I bought a used wheel, now this was right at the start of Covid and ceramics became one of the many hobbies that went gangbusters during the pandemic! So finding a wheel, whether new or used, was very tricky. So I went hunting for my wheel. I won't go into specifics on how, but I found the only wheel (so it seemed) in Australia at that time. 

So now I had a wheel coming but what to do with it? Where to put it? This is where Kylie's awesome parents come in. Typical Queenslander homes are built up on stilts, so I asked if I could use a bit of the space they weren't really using down there, they graciously said yes😮‍💨 ... and since then well, I have used a fair bit of that space, with their continued blessings of course.😊

Around this time, with the ambiguity of Covid, I lost my full-time job, and I already had the clay bug, so I knew it was my future!

Then I welcomed my first kiln and wanted to refine my skills, offering a unique product. I created what is now known as the KATM Magnetic Pin Dish. 

In the beginning of 2022 we installed solar and welcomed a second, much bigger kiln, to cope with demand. Since the origins of the KATM Pin Dish, August 2020, over 2,500 dishes went to sale (which means many did not make the cut) and I was definitely able to enhance my skills through this production potting venture.

So I often get asked, why Waffle Pottery? The story starts with a need for a makers mark, that's the stamp a potter uses as a signature. My grandpa and I were very close. In his will, he left me his favourite ring that his three children bought him. The ring has nine diamonds in a 3 x 3 grid pattern. I used the ring with no other thought than finishing off my makes with a memory that means so much to me. It was only after using it for months that a few people asked me if my mark was a waffle, so I embraced it. My family and I do enjoy a waffle with maple syrup, too! 

That, plus if you're still reading this, perhaps you agree with my wife that I do indeed waffle.. hehe🤭 

Well, that's the story so far. Thanks for reading and if you already own a Waffle Pottery piece or are just following my journey, then thanks for being a part of my story!

 

With love,

Coady Brûlé