In it's simplest form' printing on clay in it's plastic state
can involve the use of a thumb, a stamp a mould or indeed any
'tool,' to achieve an impressed surface or decorative effect.
Most contemporary ceramic artists however associate the word 'prin'
with some means of transferring ceramic colour from a plate (wood,
plaste, lino, metal) or screen directly or indirectly. This exhibition
features the work of a selected group of established or emerging
ceramic artists. Many contemporary ceramicists use print in their
work to produce a rich variety of ceramic forms. In this exhibition,
the work ranges from those producing functional and industrial
ware,, to ceramic artists making sculptural based figures. The
depth and range of work shows the potential and possibilities
of printed imagery on clay, as a creative medium in it’s
own right.
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Neil
Brownsword
Shards of industrial landfill (saggers, ware-props and deformations)
which for centuries formed the ‘hard core’ of the Potteries
landscape, have been unearthed, re-fired and are juxtaposed against
my own cast and assembled ceramic components. The installations
mimic museum displays of archaeological remnants; these disparate
groupings are a direct reference to the fragmentation of an industrial
community.
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Claire
Curneen
My work with the figure is grounded in the exploration of the human
condition, focusing on aspects of the religious and the ceremonial.
With semi-autobiographical references, the figure serves as a vessel
for the physical and spiritual well being. ‘Blue Series’
are a series of torsos on bases covered with blue flowers (sometimes
gold flowers). The flower has a sensual quality and is a metaphor
for life and death, young and old.
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Karen
Densham
Karen Densham uses the genre of the domestic plate and more recently
hybrid forms to explore the relationship between image and object.
‘My work deals in a subtle way with issues of class, gender
politics, ceramic history and function (or it’s denial). A
recent body of work appropriates second-hand plates and objects
(often chosen for their wear, history or use) imposing imagery to
revivify.’
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Stephen
Dixon
I make use of the British tradition of political prints or cartoons.
My work is a personal response to the complex (and often scary)
social and political issues and events which surround our daily
lives. My recent work as Research Fellow in Contemporary Crafts
at Crewe and Alsager Faculty of the Manchester Metropolitan University,
has involved the development of innovative printing processes for
ceramics through my own work.
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Philip
Eglin
In 1998 Eglin’s genius hit upon a new form – oddly-scaled
cylinders that he calls “buckets”…they are remarkable
objects whose surfaces carry complex layers of imagery and text.
He works, in effect, with a series of decorated surfaces that he
collages together. But each bucket tells a different secret story
and has its own visual logic. (this is an edited statement written
by Tanya Harrod)
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Ruth
Franklin
My present work concerns family memories and the importance of household
artefacts in uncovering childhood memories. Family documents that
record my grandparents move from Eastern Europe to the East End
of London, constructed artefacts, drawings and photographs, are
pieced together to tell remembered stories and family history. My
‘Arsenal’ pots are made in response to and inspired by
the footballing heroes, the architecture of Highbury stadium and
Arsenal history.
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Virginia Graham
My work stems from my obsession for objects and my belief in their
ability to symbolise identity, memory and culture. I make teapots
and tea services because they are the ultimate in ordinary objects.
I am interested in collecting as a notion and my teapots are intended
as a representation of the human compulsion to accumulate, classify
and arrange.
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Charlotte
Hodes
The archetypal shaped vases have been derived from vases seen in
the Victoria and Albert Museum. I commissioned Liza Katezenstein
(a ceramicist working in London) to make these mould made earthenware
shapes which I have collaged profusely with transfers. As a painter
I see the ceramic objects as extensions of the ‘canvas whilst
responding to the surface of the vases which are three-dimensional.
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Peter
Jones
My work is primarily concerned with questioning the relationship
between hand made objects and industrially produced items. I try
to do this aesthetically by relying on form and shape, and technically
by bringing together traditional techniques and materials with other
more industrial processes and materials.
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Carol
McNicholl
I make things that I want people to use. My work, which is made
for the most part in slip-cast clay, is always conceived as inhabiting
the domestic environment. My current work explores the relationship
between two and three-dimensional figurative imagery, always within
the context of functional ceramics. I have always been concerned
with pattern and in this new work I use glazes, open stock transfers
and my own transfers to create richly patterned surfaces.
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Philomena
Pretsell
Being a maker of vessels simplifies ones ceramic life considerably,
and ceramics is traditionally container orientated. This makes the
work more accessible to many people – everyone uses ceramic
domestic ware, so they can easily relate to the vessels. Putting
lots of bright colours together suggests vitality, energy and pleasure
– all words I associate with using clay.
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Paul
Scott
Paul Scott is a leading proponent of ceramics and print through
his 1994 book and his ongoing exhibitions. The ‘Scotts Cumbrian
Blue(s)’ series, uses traditional domestic ware forms to project
and illuminate contemporary social and political concerns. In doing
so he revisits the idyllic Blue and White decorative depictions
of the past, in order to provide thought provoking comment on the
present.
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Links
The Craft Potters Association
http://www.studiopottery.co.uk/html/n-cpa0601.html
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Drumcroon would like to thank all the artists involved in this exhibition
and especially Stephen Dixon who curated and supported it’s development
at all stages. We also thank the department staff and students of
the B.A. Contemporary Crafts Course at MMU at Crewe & Alsager
Campus. |
