Journey through the streets of Lagos to find yourself along the coastline in Portugal with artist and ceramicist Marianne Roussety.

From early career beginnings to discovering her hidden haunts in The Algarve. Explore Marianne’s visual diary, captured by Ben Raynor.

My father taught me to draw when I was little and I immediately felt so connected to the process of creation. I started my creative career about 8 years ago selling my paintings, then I switched to pottery a year and a half ago when I started working on ‘Les lampes de Marianne.’ Working with my hands has been transformational and soul-filling.

I am constantly inspired by the ebbs and flows of nature. I am inspired by women and the artisanal work of my ancestors. What encourages me to create is the feeling of freedom and ability to challenge myself while creating. Making ceramics has been incredibly grounding for me. It’s been a great challenge to take on something I’d never done before, but admired from afar!

I think sustainability encompasses many pillars. Some of the ones I value the most are transparency, an ethical supply chain, reducing waste and plastic production, supporting the local economy, gender equality, and giving back to the community. To be honest the list is long, I feel like we can all do our bit to help the environment, especially us in western countries where we are more privileged.

We loved creating with the most beautiful pieces from your ‘Liberté’ collection! It was so fun to go around and find locations that would suit the different outfits. I think our ultimate favourite scene was with the Felicity suit set which was shot at an amazing place called Algar Seco near Carvoeiro. The cliffs there look so ancient and other-worldly and the suit looked incredible there.

I felt most free when Ben and I went on a van trip along the east coast of Australia 6 years ago. It felt especially freeing to not have to worry about work and paying bills. It was an incredible experience for me to get out of my comfort zone and to fully immerse myself in nature. To me, my art frees me from my busy mind. When I create with clay, it grounds me and I always feel a sense of peace.

Ahh yes, Portugal is a special place for Ben and I because that’s where we met almost 7 years ago. It was such an incredible time in our lives to meet each other in Sagres, where our connection and love flourished so strongly. We didn’t have access to phone reception, wifi or hot water so it was amazing to be fully immersed in each other’s presence. It was so nice to go back to Portugal this year after 7 years. Portugal still remains a special place for us!

Praia Dona Ana in Lagos is beautiful, I would advise to go during the down season though as it gets so busy in Summer! A Tasca Do Careca for some traditional Portuguese food in Villa Do Bispo and Praia do Castelejo in Sagres for nice long beach walks in the sunset.

When I travel, I find a lot of my inspiration in nature as well as architecture. We saw some amazing curvy houses built from natural materials in the Algarve and I felt very inspired by them! We are in Morocco now and I feel so inspired by the warm tones and natural materials like raffia and other woods.

I am currently reading the book ‘Sapiens’ and I find it so fascinating. I’ve never been a huge reader but this one is super interesting. I love listening to music from Joaquim Cornejo, Patrick Watson, Jorja Smith and Hermano Gutierrez. I also love listening to Superfeast podcasts, they have some amazing ones on all things health and conscious ways to live.

When I come back home from our travels, I plan on bringing new lamp creations to life including tall floor lamps and pendants as well. I am so excited for it to unfold, I feel super passionate about it. We don’t really have travel plans for the rest of the year as of yet as we will be travelling to my home town in Canada in a few days. After all our travels it will be so nice to settle back into our life in Byron.