I am an artist working in the field of ceramics creating fragile porcelain pieces which are inspired by the environment or by peoples relationships with the environment and with each other and which often incorporate finds to support their narrative.
One of my current projects involves exploring the impact of the mining industry on the landscape of Cornwall. I want to incorporate waste, of which there are many tons, from the slag heaps close to the mines. Cornwall would not look the way that it does were it not for centuries of mineral excavation. It has formed some of the most poignant vistas of industrial archeology; the waste has silted up the rivers; the inland villages and towns were constructed to serve the mining communities.
I have been conducting a series of experiments using this waste material but trying to bring out the colours of the minerals which I know to be present: copper and tin for the most part. By adding tiny quantities of glaze to the material I have been trying to obtain slightly more fluxing at higher temperatures in the hope of drawing the colour out. I think my results have a little way to go but I like where this is heading. The colours are being drawn out and the interiors are beginning to show blues, greens, reads and blacks. I am so excited about this, I think the time has come to go large!
Last autumn I was lucky enough to be invited to exhibit at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair. It was a fantastic weekend and whilst it didn’t lead directly to me making my fortune it did open up other opportunities for me, one of which was my recent invitation to become a member of the Design Factory as an emerging maker. This, in turn is leading on to other things. But this blog is not about me.
My stand at the GNCCF
One of the people who was exhibiting close to me was a lovely young lady called Hannah Tounsend. It was not the first time that I had met her, she had been at the New Designers exhibition in the summer and I had also seen her work in the British Ceramics Biennial at Stoke on Trent on my way to Manchester. Both times her work had struck me as different and exciting. We stood side by side over the weekend in Manchester and I mused on the possibility, if I sold a lot of my work, of owning one of hers. This is so often the temptation – to spend my hard won cash on other ceramics rather than food! Sadly, this time, I resisted the temptation and came away empty handed. This might have been a mistake!
Unsurprisingly, Hannah went on to win Fresh. Then yesterday my new copy of Ceramic Review landed with a thump on the door mat. At the first opportunity I curled up in a chair with it and a coffee to indulge in my favourite activity of flicking through to prioritise the order of my in depth reading later in the month; it always makes me think of opening a box of chocolates and lining them up with the fudge at the front of the line and the strawberry creams at the other end. This time I was stopped in my tracks by one article: There she is again, smiling out from the pages of an article on Ones to Watch, cradling one of her large, atmospheric pieces and definitely going places!
Hannah’s work combines throwing and hand building to create large porcelain pieces which have a fabulous printed surface inspired by the cliffs and coastline of Britain. Her pieces are strikingly beautiful.
This girl is making such a splash with her wonderfully fresh vessels that she actually appears twice in this edition of Ceramic Review; there is a short article on her in the CPA news section of the magazine as well. I think I missed a trick in Manchester and my advice to collectors is to grab a piece of this girl’s work before she is too expensive. After all, another article which I need to read properly this month talks of a Lucie Rie piece which was bought in 1975 for £36.00 and has just made £32,000.00 at auction!
I want to incorporate waste, of which there are many tons, from the slag heaps close to the mines. Cornwall would not look the way that it does were it not for centuries of mineral excavation. It has formed some of the most poignant vistas of industrial archeology; the waste has silted up the rivers; the inland villages and towns were constructed to serve the mining communities.
![82b74f922715c647ba31beb3cba57f7c[1]](https://bridgetmacklin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/82b74f922715c647ba31beb3cba57f7c1.jpg?w=361&h=225)
Bridget Macklin 