Hon. President:- Joe Finch

Hon. Member:- Henry Sandon

Lorraine Gilroy

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Since working with a Japanese potter using an anagama outdoor wood firing kiln in Japan in 2007, my recent pots have focussed on domestic shapes; the bowl and kettle forms, teacups and saucers, jugs and vessels. Many of these have a sculptural rather than functional emphasis. Some forms are influenced by sunlight on rippling water and the undulations that this produces in otherwise smooth surfaces. Others feature highly textured areas made with impressed shells, combed to represent water currents.  This language of form is expressed in families of works, influenced in part by a whole range of factors, not least visits to the coast, exploring natural phenomena in wood, stone and water.

 

I am fascinated by the metamorphosis of clay; torn, ripped, combed and changed, resulting from freedom of handling when drawing directly on clay surfaces used as a tactile canvas. This direct `truth to material’ approach has always been important to me, in knowing what marks to make and when I consider a pot to be finished. I use stoneware, earthenware, raku clay or porcelain and glazes depending on the needs of the work and its underlying theme. Recently, I have been experimenting with body stains, oxides and copper carbonate, gradually layered over raw clay surfaces, with the addition of glazed areas and glass pieces as required, resulting in complex colour finishes.

 

Firing is undertaken in a Potclays EP45 electric kiln; also a Mercury test kiln used for experimentation.

                                                                          

                                                                                                                                                                     Photography by Alex Ridgway