As a child I was always curious and creative, I think I've always been interested in processes - the how and whys. I love learning new things and having new experiences in life. From when I first started school I've lived in Sunderland but I'm originally from Yorkshire, I still visit my home town and after all these years it feels so familiar like a pair of old worn in shoes.
Why did you move to Sunderland and what reasons do you have for visiting your home town?
I was very young when we moved back to Sunderland so it was a decision mainly driven by my parents. They needed to move for the availability of jobs that weren't really available in a rural community and at the time we had a lot of family still living in the city.
What kind of creativity were you most attracted to as a child and why? E.g: books, poetry & literature or fine art, sculptures and paintings or home crafts like sewing, knitting and cooking or maybe media, tv, music and motion pictures etc?
I still have quite a large collection of beautifully illustrated children's books from when I was young but I loved cartoons particularly anything with animals in it. As I got older in my teenage years I started to appreciate fine art, I still love going to galleries and looking at paintings. I have a number of favourite artists including Rosetti, Mattisse and more modern artists for their visually challenging artworks.
Did you pursue creativity in your education as well or was it something you did in your spare time?
I studied fine art at A level and for a long time I wanted to be an artist, I studied to be a designer when I was at university doing Interactive Media Design. So I'm actually a graphic designer by trade, I've always been a creative person both in and out of education using my spare time up drawing or crafting.
Which part of the creative process do you enjoy the most? E.g. ideas generation (seeing, absorbing, sketching etc) or trail and error in making (3D hands on work, experimentation) or the final product (being able to see and feel the outcome of hard work)?
At the moment I like throwing most in the process of making I find it hypnotic and primal. For me there's a little spark of magic that happens at that moment; you go from an object not existing to it being something real. It's the moment of creation I suppose of making something born from the earth.
This is quite a tough question for me as I have huge admiration for an awful lot of artists! If I had to single out just one though I'd have to say Neil Gaiman. I have a lot of pottery heros and favourite artists so its unusual for me to pick an author.
I think I've loved just about everything he's ever written and his Sandman series is something I just come back to again and again. I don't really think he's directly influenced my work as such but I find him a inspiring person who I greatly admire for his skill as a wordsmith and tenacity to get what he wants out of life.
A lot of people find Graphic Design and Fine Art to be very different - In fine art the main focus is creating from your own thoughts and ideas, but in Graphics and Design you essentially create for others. Having studied both, do you find them to be different or quite similar? What prompted you to study Design instead of carrying on with Fine Art? Also do you prefer one to the other? If so why?
For me there was a crossover point, my work in fine art was starting to become more illustrative and design driven with an increasing focus on typography. I think the biggest difference is that in design your creating something that has to be fit for purpose whatever that might be.
It is more commercial and less expressive but it helps to have a design background sometimes because I never have to outsource design work, I just do it myself. When I first started at university there was a big gap between me and my other course mates because I was the only one who came from a Fine Art background but I think it gave me an edge - mine was always the unconventional angle. I think it made me more in touch with the feelings of a design and I still try to create evocative images that people can associate with rather than something that's pure function.
How did pottery/ceramics enter your life? Also why did you choose to work with clay? Are you working with clay full time or do you have other jobs?
As a material to manipulate you can make almost anything with clay. I like stoneware best of all because its very durable from a functional point of view, it takes colour very well and is a relatively easy material to throw unlike earthenware which is gritty on the hands and porcelain which is too unpredictable.
At the moment I work part time as a designer but I don't think I'm very far off going full time in making pottery.
Have you ever thought about incorporating typography into your ceramic works if you haven't done so already? If not is this something you'd like to explore and is so why and if not why not?
I do sometimes add a bit of type to my work but it's mostly hand lettering which can be quite difficult. No two pieces ever come out the same so it really is truly unique.
When I first started hand lettering pots I found the challenge was actually working with a curved rather than flat surface it can make the letters uneven. It's also a confidence thing - you have to keep doing it to get better and it's always a worry that someone won't like what you've created.
I have a set of lettering stamps but I tend to use these less often as I do feel they look a bit too mechanical but they look great on things like jars and large chunkier pieces.
Having gone through education through fine art and design what prompted you to work with clay again or have you always worked with clay on the side?
Until about 4 years ago I hadn't touched a piece of clay since I was six so it had certainly been a while. I've always had a bit of a 'have a go' attitude to life and I've thrown myself into all sorts of projects over the years and I thought I'd give it a whirl just to see if I was any good at it. I feel as though throwing has really not just given me a skill but also a different outlook on life, through it I think I've become a more peaceful and confident person.
I still think there's always plenty to learn and I'm continually improving everyday, sometimes its the little 'tips' you pick up along the way from people who've been there and done that which make all the difference.
You mentioned as a little girl you modelled clay animals. Why have you chosen to focus on functional items such as cups, bowls and plates rather than sculptural items like animals and decorative pieces?
When I was at university I had to model real life objects in blue foam as an exercise but I actually found it really frustrating. I never really felt I got close to any real life likeness comparing it to the original. Also I love the functional side of making tableware pottery; for me when I make a piece I like to think theres a meeting point between beauty and function.
You might not think about it but there's also an element of interactivity with tableware you don't get out of sculpture and it's surprisingly intimate. You use bowls and plates everyday, they become part of your life and I like to think that the pieces I make in some small way enhance life's daily rituals. I don't think the little animals have totally gone from my work though as you'll sometimes find them attached to other pieces.
I noticed that you embellish the sides of your pieces with various shapes by removing and/or adding them. I find this quite unique. Where did design decision come from?
It's a technique my Dad always used and I picked it up as something that's quite effective for me. I'm not that good at some forms of decoration like slip trailing or sgraffito and all artists play to their strengths whatever that might be.
Have you noticed your works change and develop over the years? If so how and in what way?
My work has developed immensely in the time I've been throwing, I think to an extent you learn by doing and its only through continual daily practice that you do improve. You get a feeling for the limitations of the material and what it can and can't do.
Is there any particular type of clay or glaze you'd like to try your hand at? If so what is it and why?
I'd love to develop more glazes, at the moment I only really create 'simple' glazes but I'd like to have a go at making more complex colours and reactive glazes. Unfortunately at the moment I don't have the time but I do think it'd make my work more unique.
Could you talk us through how you transform an idea/design into a 3D object?
I'm always very aware of what stage I'm at in the making process and try to concentrate on achieving each part of the process as best I can. With particularly complex designs I will draw it out and try to explain it to other people and get a feeling for what they think. Even if you don't take someone elses suggestions I do think its important to have a group of people to 'sound out' to who won't be offended if you don't take them up on what they think!
Apart from your design job, is ceramics the only arts or crafts you're actively working with? If so why did you choose to pursue clay over other types of arts and crafts? If not what else are you working with and did you try your hand at anything else over the years?
At the moment I knit but it's just a hobby of mine, I make things for myself and for family I've been a knitter for a number of years and I simply enjoy it. I also spend time baking whenever I can often these things turn up over on my blog for other people to enjoy too. I've tried all sorts of things - its just that only a few tend to stick with me.
What's your favourite piece from your own collection of works and why?
That's a tough question! I actually really enjoy the challenge of making dinner plates, they're quite difficult pieces to make and I can only do a few of them at a time but the sense of satisfaction I get out of making them is huge. They take glaze really well too and a balanced plate is just really beautiful to look at.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
You can keep up with whats going on in the studio every week over on the blog - http://www.littlewrenpottery.co.uk It's the best place to take a peek at what people have been ordering, anything new thats arrived in the shop and what I'm doing out and about.
