The Coastal Studio, near West Cape Howe National Park, creates some hidden gems

What seems to be another farm set on immaculate land, paints an unassuming picture as you weave down the windy gravel drive.

Pass by the marron dams to the right and blueberry plantations to the left, and through a few striking granite boulders piled up high by the road.

Peeking out from behind the farmhouse, is the studio of Narelle Clark, florist, horticulturist and potter of The Coastal Studio.

Her studio, set in an old shed has been transformed into her creative safe place.

A beautifully-presented showroom welcomes you, with exquisite works on display from bowls, to mugs and serving dishes, each crafted in natural hues to reflect the environment which Ms Clark loves so much.

Through the back two doors then awaits the work zone where her masterpieces are created.

Ms Clark has only been pursuing her art for a few years, but her works are sophisticated and polished, resembling that of someone who has decades in the field.

While it did take a while to pursue it full-time, she first fell in love with the craft in high school.

"I didn't ever think you could have a career doing it," Ms Clark said.

"It wasn't until about 10 years ago, maybe, that I saw one of my really good friends from high school was selling pottery on Etsy.

"I just couldn't get it out of my head, I knew I wanted to do that."

Already trained in floristry and horticulture, Ms Clark felt they didn't offer the creative expression she craved.

Driven by this "deep-seeded need" to do something creative, she took up lessons at her local pottery club.

Her partner Rob Martin then upgraded his shed, which made the one next to the house available as her studio.

"Since I turned it into a pottery studio I really haven't stopped," she said.

Since the beginning of the year she has finally been able to devote full-time hours to the Coastal Studio after trying to fit it in and around her life for the previous two years.

"I'd create work before and after work, on weekends, just constantly - the shelves were more full than they are now," she said.

Growing up in the Torbay townsite just 10 minutes from where she currently resides, her nanna and grandfather bought the farm on the other side of the road in the 1940s, opposite to her partner's family farm.

A true local Ms Clark is third generation, while Mr Martin is fourth generation.

The crossover between her and her partner are everywhere, little did they know they would find their way to each other all these years later.

"I have a really vague memory of coming to the family house, Larry and Gail's, Rob's parents," she said.

"I remember going there with mum to get some daffodil bulbs off a lady and it would have to be Rob's mum for sure.

"We do have many mutual friends, even though there's six years between us."

Spending 10 years in the Eastern States, she fell in love with Hayman Island.

Ms Clark first studied floristry and photography when she arrived in the Whitsundays, later moving to work in watersports and spent her days in the beautiful community that living on an island cultivates.

"It was amazing, I used to get seaplane pilots who would ring me up and say Rel' we've got a spare seat on the plane - you have that lifestyle on tap," she said.

"I actually wasn't ready to come home, but dad wasn't well and you can't get back that time once it's gone, can you."

Upon returning home, she studied horticulture in Albany, gaining her diploma.

"I loved the whole idea of growing and nurturing, of being self-sufficient," she said.

"As a cattle farmer's daughter I grew up with dad making cheese and ploughing up the field just to grow corn pumpkins, rockmelon and watermelon - the good stuff in life I think, for me anyway."

Her knowledge came in handy as she and Rob's parents tried their hand at growing garlic for a season and blueberries commercially, all the while working as a florist and horticulturist in the local Denmark nursery, which has since closed.

While the blueberries are still grown, they are now under the watchful eye of her mother-in-law.

When Ms Clark found pottery she knew that's where she wanted to invest all of her time and energy.

"I was just feeling unfulfilled, and when I found pottery I knew that was it, it was the path for me from now on - I was pretty determined and single minded about it really," she said.

With nothing wasted, those additional skills have found their way into her pottery.

"I love the really raw natural elements of pottery and the earth," she said.

"I suppose because I'm just a nature-loving girl - my surroundings, the beach, the ocean, anything living really, anything botanical.

"I often do imprints in the back of a lot of pieces, those elements are either always from my garden or locally sourced - I love the idea of including a little moment in time."

Although she would love to be able to dig clay out of the ground and use it in her work, the clay used needs to have certain plasticity and resistance to high temperatures.

This is important as all of her pieces are microwave and dishwasher safe, a crucial element to making pottery in the modern age.

"I do want to use wild clay eventually, but use it decoratively on vases and different pieces," she said.

"I love the idea of having a little bit of my surroundings in my work."

Ms Clark's creative process tends to be an organic outworking between the mind and her hands, not over thinking just being led to see what she will come up with.

This however has been a challenge as she tries to grow as a business, especially building a catalogue of pieces for her online store.

"Having it as a business you have to think about what you're going to produce, so it's a little bit of a tug of war with your creative mind," she said.

"Then going OK I know that I need to pull out some mugs, because I can't stock enough mugs."

Although that structure is not where Ms Clark's creative juices flourish.

"I don't like to make things identical, I grab a bag of clay and then I'll go OK, I'm going to throw 20 vessels for mugs but then I prefer to have random amounts of clay and just make whatever it is I want to make," she said.

"That works if I'm supplying galleries such as Petrichor Gallery or The Butter Factory gallery, whereas online I have to put my business brain on.

"My favourite items are those which have a function, while I appreciate beautiful things I think it's great to have beautiful things that you can use."

Ms Clark's pieces are mostly wheel thrown, although she still loves hand building techniques, as they add an organic feel to her body of work.

She recently completed her first hand-building class with good friend and gallery owner Meleah Farrell, and expects to hold a few more as the year progresses through Ms Farrell's business The Seasonal Creative.

Ms Clark is also planning to take part in the Southern Art and Craft Trail (SACT) again this year, in which she and Ms Farrell won the 2021 SACT Exhibition Award.

For those who are curious and want to explore the world of pottery, Ms Clark's advice is just jump in and try it out.

"See if your local area has a pottery club," she said.

"Check out YouTube and social media - they're so many people out there that are willing to share their knowledge.

"It is just incredible to find something that you really love, that makes you feel fulfilled."

"It took me a long time to get to this stage," she said.

"I initially tried to keep people in my life happy with decisions I made and the paths I took," she said.

"I finally worked out that there's no point living your life for other people, it just leaves life lacking, so this is me living for myself."

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