CERAMICS

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I completed a contemporary ceramics degree at Wolverhampton University. I moved into teaching and leading Art courses in Secondary and Post 16 education.

Now working as a full time ceramic artist, my pieces are all wheel thrown. Some are composite forms and then some are cut and altered. The pieces are then glazed and fired to 1250°C.

I enjoy layering glazes to create textured surfaces, to explore matt and gloss, rough and smooth, in one piece.

I'm fascinated by form. I like mixing shapes together, the sphere, cylinder, cone and disc. Altering the composition and proportions and being inspired by many man-made and natural forms.

Before creating pottery from Dorset, Catherine attended Art College at Kingston, Surrey where she gained a first class B.A. Honours Degree in Fine Art. Catherine further developed these skills at Chelsea College of Art, gaining a Masters Degree in the field of Fine Art.

Catherine’s love of colour and line has fused together in her range of Spongeware and Mediterranean style ceramics, all handmade at her studio in Dorset. She is strongly influenced by visits to rural Portugal, reflected in her Dorset pottery with Lemons, Oranges, Olives Pomegranates and Grapes flowing across the surfaces of her ceramics, giving them vivid colour and vitality.

Elm House Studio only works with local Dorset pottery clay, fired to earthenware temperature. The thrown pots are covered with white liquid clay (slip) and later, the design is engraved through the surface to reveal the red clay beneath (scraffito). The pottery is then finally coloured using under glaze pigments and a clear glaze applied at the very end.

I completed a contemporary ceramics degree at Wolverhampton University. I moved into teaching and leading Art courses in Secondary and Post 16 education.

Now working as a full time ceramic artist, my pieces are all wheel thrown. Some are composite forms and then some are cut and altered. The pieces are then glazed and fired to 1250°C.

I enjoy layering glazes to create textured surfaces, to explore matt and gloss, rough and smooth, in one piece.

I'm fascinated by form. I like mixing shapes together, the sphere, cylinder, cone and disc. Altering the composition and proportions and being inspired by many man-made and natural forms.

Fired Thoughts is a studio run by artists Sue Whelan and Geraldine Francis.

Sue Whelan is an artist who works in ceramics and incorporates an array of other materials within her work. She draws inspiration from the skin and how it protects the human body. Sue is interesting in expressing these textures by accentuating the cracks, folds and qualities that could be interpreted as 'imperfections'. Sue is also inspired by the textures found within the landscape.

Geraldine Francis is an artist who works with ceramics, concentrating mostly on sculpture with a bird and animal theme but also inspired by the Wiltshire landscape.

Kirstie and Paul Hayler work from their home studios, overlooking Firestone Copse on the Isle of Wight. Kirstie studied painting at Brighton University, and went on to enjoy a career as a photographer and illustrator. She briefly encountered the potter’s wheel many years ago, and moving to the island in 2017, knew that this was exactly what she wanted to do. Paul mixes all of the glazes from scratch, using raw ingredients and stains, making them a true artistic collaboration. Paul has always enjoyed making, historically using wood.

I make stoneware pottery with a traditional feel for a modern life, desiring them to have a use and to be used. Living in a village I make some of my glazes with the addition of locally sourced materials ranging from wood ash out of our open fire to locally sourced earth from the hills near by to mud from the near by beach, all of which impart there unique qualities into the glaze. Taking influences from many local places as well as from the international world of art and craft, my work evolves as I look for truth and beauty.

Inspired by nature, naïve art and home.

I find the quiet beauty, patterns and the unexpected in the ordinary everyday,
stitching together and arranging
wonders of nature and joy in the simple things.
Being near to tranquil meadows, fields and woodland in my home of Somerset , I find my inspiration in the abundance of nature and wildlife found there.  
I can use the grasses, weeds and seed heads collected on my country walks directly in my work. 
I weave stories in to clay, build texture on cloth, paint on canvas 
watch changing seasons, bring nature home

Each pot is thrown and turned on the potters’ wheel. Relief sprigs and models are added to each pot transforming these traditional shapes into individual works of artistic fun. The pots are decorated individually with brushwork using metallic oxides and vibrant glazes.

Whilst these pots are decorative they also combine their fun with function; all pieces are suitable for use in the kitchen or dining room and are dishwasher and microwave safe.

I have worked as a production thrower in potteries in England, France and Bermuda. Over the years I have picked up a range of pottery skills but had always wanted to work for myself and produce the pots I wanted to make and here they are.

I enjoyed learning how to make simple relief sprigs and models. I developed my own glazes and decorating techniques. I throw all my pots, add sprigs to the forms and decorate them with beautiful glazes.