Nathalee Paolinelli

As an in-house creative at Obakki, a global home décor brand rooted in artisan craftsmanship, I visited Canadian multidisciplinary artist Nathalee Paolinelli in her studio to capture the story behind her first collaboration with Obakki for the 2025 holiday season. The shoot focused on bringing her studio and creative process into the campaign — documenting the environment, details, and moments behind her expressive approach to ceramics.

Her studio felt quietly alive, with clay, pigment, tools, and works in progress naturally filling the space. I approached the imagery with the same sense of honesty, capturing Nathalee at work alongside the textures and imperfections that define her practice. The result was a visual story that felt intimate and unforced, offering a glimpse into the hands, process, and space behind the finished pieces.

Woman shaping flat clay pieces in a pottery studio surrounded by shelves of clay molds and brushes.
Shelves with a collection of various ceramic vases and pottery, along with dried plants in a tall green vase in a dimly lit room.
Artist wearing a paint-stained apron and black gloves mixing reddish paint in a small white bowl with a brush, surrounded by ceramic bowls and sculptural pieces on a worktable.Person wearing a white apron shaping a rectangular clay block on a table.
Pottery workshop with shelves of ceramic pieces, tools, paintbrushes, and clay plates on a worktable.A wooden workbench in a studio with organized shelves, a wooden ladder, ceramic pieces on a shelf, and paint samples on the wall.Shelves filled with various ceramic pottery pieces, molds, and art supplies in a pottery studio.
A woman in a white shirt and apron shapes clay on a table in a pottery studio with shelves of ceramic pieces in the background.Person wearing black gloves holding a paintbrush and a ceramic half sphere, with multiple ceramic pieces and containers of glaze on a table.
Person kneading clay or dough on a flat surface with both hands.Person shaping circular clay pieces on a table with a carving tool in a pottery workshop.
Stacks of unglazed, ruffled ceramic bowls on a wooden surface.Person rolling out clay with a rolling pin on a table surrounded by circular clay pieces in a pottery workshop.
Container filled with black paint and a paintbrush with black paint on its tip lying on a light surface with black paint spots.Several unfinished stacked ceramic pieces with ruffled edges on a worktable in a pottery studio.Close-up of hands painting the scalloped edge of a ceramic plate with black paint using a small brush.View through an open pink door into a pottery studio with circular clay pieces on a table and a person working inside.Dusty, worn chess pawn lying on a beige surface near an orange circular object with partial black writing.Hands shaping and smoothing circular clay pieces on a work surface.Hand painting the edge of a beige ceramic plate with a brush near a black paint can.A gloved hand holding a brush dripping beige paint over a paint-stained table with paint containers and art supplies.Person wearing black gloves holding a detailed ceramic or plaster mold piece in a workshop.Person wearing black gloves applies orange paint inside a small ceramic bowl using a paintbrush.
Woman in white apron painting a ceramic piece in an art studio filled with brushes and pottery.Four beige ceramic plates with irregular wavy edges and black rims arranged on a matching surface.Woman in white apron and black gloves painting the edge of a ceramic plate in a pottery studio.Wooden shelves filled with various ceramic plates, bowls, and vases in a pottery studio.A worktable with a paint jar, a white bowl, and multiple paint splatters on the surface.Person in a white apron shaping clay on a table in a pottery workshop with shelves of ceramic pieces behind.
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