Reprinted from an article on Andalician Adventures by Steve Downs – Full article Here…
1, Who are you? Please introduce yourself… My name is Homa Farley I moved to the UK when I was a teenager in order to study English. I met and married my husband Michael Farley and together we have two children Neusha who is also a potter living in Spain and Peter who lives in Los Angles. I lost my husband Michael in Aug 2018 here in Spain from a sudden heart attack, he was my biggest supporter and fan.
2, Where are you originally from? I am from Tehran, Iran.
3, Do you come from an Arty family? My father was an army officer, but he was also a poet and my brother was a professional artist.
4, Where are you based now? I live partially in U.A.E. and in Spain.
5, What brought you to Spain? The weather and the beauty of scenery also the easy way of life.
6, What is your main creative talent? I am a Master Potter and ceramic designer. I studied Ceramic Design at the Glasgow School of Art. I have the honour of having permanent displays of my work in the Tehran National Museum and also at the Abgineh Museum (Glass and Pottery Museum) Tehran Iran.
7, What medium/media/process do you use? I use clay and glazes as my medium I also use natural materials such as leaves, seashells and coral to create textures on my pieces.
8, Do you have other creative talents? / hidden talents? Please list… I am a martial artist 4th dan Black belt in Hap Ki Do Hoi Jeon Moo Sol which is a Korean martial art in which you use enemy power to overcome them. I started martial arts many years ago well before doing pottery.
9, What inspires you? I am inspired by the nature around me such as the sea and the lush scenery near and around where I live. I am very interested in world politics and inspired by the political situations in various countries which affect the lives of everyday people.
10, What time of day are you most creative? Mornings is the best time of the day for me I love the sunshine and feel sad when the sun goes down.
11, How long have you been creating your main work? I have been a potter for almost 30 years I am the founder and owner of the first modern pottery the Abu Dhabi Pottery Est which was established in 1994 and is still going strong in the capital of the U.A.E.
12, What is the most recent piece of work you have created or are working on? I have been working on creating textures using glazes, slips and other natural material which would enhance the shape and form of my pieces. Some of these pieces are made on the wheel others are a combination of hand-building and potter’s wheel techniques.
13, Do you do commissions for clients? Yes, I have been working with top restaurants in the U.A.E. designing and creating, such as Burj Al Arab, Zuma restaurant, Coya restaurant and Four seasons in Qatar as well as many others. I also create and accept commissions for individual clients. I specialise in restoration of both ancient and new pottery and ceramics.
14, Do you hold events for your work? We are planning an open house exhibition in December. (Andalucian Adventures will certainly be advertising it) 15, Do you hold classes for others? We do hold small classes here in our studio for adults and children and for all levels.
16, Do you think Andalucia attracts artistic types of people? I believe Andalucia does attract artists, I have met many talented artistic people here.
17, Apart from where you live, what is your favourite place in Andalucia? There are many places I would like to see, I love where we live but need to visit many more places.
18, Where in Andalucia would you like to visit that you have not been to before? As I travel back and forth to the U.A.E I have not had a lot of time to visit many places I love being near the sea in Casares costa but would love to see as many places as possible in Andalucia as well as other parts of Spain in the future.
19, Do you self-promote/advertise?/ Do you have a website or FB we can check out?
Our web page in the U.A.E. www.abudhabipottery.com is managed and promoted by a professional company, my own web page www.homafarley.com also that of firenarth studios www.firenearth.com is taken care of by my daughter. I do have my own facebook page also which is Homa Vafaie Farley and my Instagram is homafarleyoriginals_pottery.
Our web page in the U.A.E. www.abudhabipottery.com (+ Instagram Feed + Facebook) is managed and promoted by a professional company, my own web page www.homafarley.com also that of firenarth studios www.firenearth.com is taken care of by my daughter. I do have my own facebook page also which is Homa Vafaie Farley and my Instagram is homafarleyoriginals_pottery.
20, Do you have an inspirational quote for our readers you can leave us with? “Follow your Bliss” these are wonderful words by Joseph Campbell. Follow and do what you love, and you will be successful and happy